When Obed McCoy failed to remove the bails in the first T20I as R Ashwin was far from his crease, the pundits referred to it as “inexplicable.” In a match in which India completely outclassed West Indies, McCoy simply stood there with the ball in his hand as Ashwin dove to gain ground, wasting an opportunity to make a breakthrough.

However, McCoy did not spare any effort in preparing his team for their five-wicket victory against India on Monday (August 1) at Warner Park in St. Kitts. The victory brought the series to a close.

With the help of McCoy’s historic 6-17, the greatest T20I bowling stats for a West Indian, West Indies managed to restrict India to just 138 in 19.4 overs, which was their lowest total in a T20I. With his performance, McCoy entered an extremely select club of only five other bowlers from full-member sides who have taken six wickets in a T20I.

McCoy’s destructive four-over stint brought India’s vulnerability to left-arm seam bowling to light once more. The other bowlers effectively banded together to support him, but McCoy was the one who established the tone for the day by striking with the first ball of the contest to have Rohit Sharma caught at backward point. The Indian skipper was defeated despite the skippy short delivery, giving McCoy his first wicket.

Right-handers were enticed to play the long drive by McCoy’s angle to them, which continued to disappear. Suryakumar Yadav met a similar end off the first ball he saw from McCoy in the third over. He attempted to drive a fuller pitch across but was unsuccessful after getting a thick outside edge.

McCoy remained steadfast in his plans as the other bowlers backed off on their distances. In addition to attacking the stumps and bowling fuller, he was consistent with his lines. At the midway point of the match, McCoy commented, “It’s fantastic to compete against a good side like India.”

“In executing your objectives and evaluating the environment, you must be focused. I solely focus on the tasks at hand before starting to do them. The best numbers give you a wonderful sensation.”

Execute he did, returning later in the innings to add to his count of wickets, dismissing Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, destroying the core of India’s batting order all by himself.

The picture of McCoy celebrating after picking up his first IPL wicket during his earlier-in-the-year IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals is all that’s left of that game.

As West Indies got off to a solid start thanks to Brandon King and Kyle Mayers, India failed to take a wicket in the Powerplay for the first time in 13 T20Is. West Indies managed to cling on and complete the mark in the last over with four balls to spare despite India’s impressive comeback and several obstacles they put in their way during the chase, earning them their first victory against India in a T20I match since 2019.