West Indies thrash India 3-2 in T20I series: Key takeaways
West Indies stunned Team India with a 3-2 win in the recently-concluded T20I series. It was a hard-fought series as the Men in Blue did well to level the affair after losing the first two games. However, Rovman Powell's team came on top in the decider. This was India's first defeat in a five-match series. Here are the key takeaways.
A poor show from Indian openers
The failure at the top was among the key reasons behind India's downfall. Besides the fourth T20I, where Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 165 runs, the Indian openers could not even add 20 runs in any of the games. Gill was dismissed four times under the score of 10. Jaiswal was also dismissed under 10 in two of his three outings.
Aggression was the key
Spinners had a gala time throughout the series. While most of the batters who were reluctant could not do much, the ones who showcased intent were awarded. Three of the four highest run-getters in the series, Nicholas Pooran (184 runs), Tilak Varma (173), and Suryakumar Yadav (166), had series strike rates of over 140.
Varma showcased character in maiden T20I series
Notably, this series marked Varma's debut in international cricket, and the southpaw, who was selected in the squad ahead of Rinku Singh, did not fail to make a mark. 39, 51, 49*,7*, and 27 were his scores in the series. As Indian openers failed in most of the games, the 20-year-old often arrived with the visitors in a tricky position.
Contrasting series for Kuldeep and Chahal
Kuldeep Yadav was all over the WI batters in the series as he finished with six wickets in four games at an economy of 5.75. While his partner-in-crime, Yuzvendra Chahal, scalped five wickets, he had an economy rate of 9.06. His 0/51 in four overs hurt India in the decider. In the same game, Kuldeep finished with 0/18 in his quota of four overs.
Mukesh did well in death overs
Pacer Mukesh Kumar also made his T20I debut in the series and he fared decently against a strong batting line-up. His pin-point yorkers impressed one and all as his economy rate in the final five overs was just 8.8. His fellow pacer Arshdeep Singh did take seven wickets in the series. However, his economy rate of 9.18 was on the higher side.
Hardik's failure with the bat
Indian skipper Hardik Pandya's failure with the bat also hurt the visitors. He managed just 77 runs in four outings, striking at 110. His inability to contribute significantly lower down the order meant India often fell short. He fared decently with the ball, claiming four wickets (ER: 8.4). Notably, Hardik's opposition number, Powell, mustered 110 in the series at a strike rate of 150.68.
Akeal Hosein's brilliance in powerplay overs
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein was India's major nemesis in the powerplay overs. He got the new ball to turn as he finished the series with five wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.6. The spinner dismissed the dangerous Gill twice in the series.
