HomeNewsTrending NewsIndia Clinch The Series In Florida With A Comfortable Win

India Clinch The Series In Florida With A Comfortable Win

India won the second T20I game against West Indies comfortably by 22 runs via DLS method as rain halted play with West Indies on 98/4. Virat Kohli won the toss and this time elected to bat first. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma started brilliantly adding 67 for the first wicket. Rohit played a fantastic inning on a tough wicket to end up with an entertaining 67 of just 51 balls. The rest of the batting did enough to get India to a competitive 167/5 in 20 overs.

The West Indies bowlers bowled poorly at the start but pulled things back well in the latter half. When Rohit Sharma was still at the crease, it did look like India would get a higher total. Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas were the picks of the bowlers for the hosts with two wickets each. Needing 168 to win on a sluggish wicket West Indies needed a good start.

They changed up the combination a bit by sending in Sunil Narine to open with Evin Lewis. Narine though could not get going at all and got out to Washington Sundar for just 4 runs of 12 balls. Evin Lewis also failed once again leaving West Indies 8/2 in 3 overs. After a poor start, India kept the pressure on with some good tight bowling. Rovman Powell did counter-attack with a brilliant 54 of 34 balls but West Indies fell way behind the required run rate.

They were 98/4 and still needed 70 in just 27 deliveries when the rain halted play. Krunal Pandya was India’s best bowler with 2/23 while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Washington Sundar took one wicket each while maintaining a very good economy rate. With this win, India has sealed the series 2-0 and now the action will move to West Indies for the final T20I in Guyana.

Having won the series already India will be expected to make some changes to their playing XI giving opportunities to rest of the members in the squad. This has been a scratchy start for both the teams as the batters haven’t been able to express themselves in a sticky wicket. The rest of the action will move to the Caribbean and we might see an improved performance from the hosts. A good win for the men in blue and they have made the ideal start to a long tour. The T20I series will be followed by 3 ODI games and then the teams will play 2 Tests to a cap of the tour.

Scores:

India 167/5 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 67, Sheldon Cottrell 2/25) beat West Indies 98/4 in 15.3 overs (Rovman Powell 54, Krunal Pandya 2/23) by 22 runs (DLS)

Virat Kohli | India Captain:

says that they had a really clinical game today. Feels the wicket was always going to be best at the start and reckons it was a good finish by Krunal and Jadeja. Adds that it slowed down towards the end but glad that they got to 160-plus. He is happy with the way they bowled. Mentions that winning is always a priority and they want to play expressive cricket. States that closing the series with one game to go gives you a cushion but they are not going to take the last game lightly. Kohli is all praise for Washington Sundar. Lauds him for showing composure in the Powerplay and tells that he is handy with the bat as well. Further says that he is executing his plans really well and is looking quite lean and fit. Tells that he is expecting a big crowd in Guyana where he hasn’t played before and he is looking forward to the experience.

Carlos Brathwaite | West Indies Captain:

Starts by saying that they didn’t get the start they wanted with the ball but pulled things back really well. Feels that they had a solid platform and would have given a real shot at the end although it was a difficult task. Praises Rovman Powell for his knock and tells that there was a little bit of improvement from yesterday. Adds that the plan was to send Pollard later to finish the game. Wants the batting order to be flexible and batting wise it’s really close to where they want it to be. States that consistency from his side is what he is looking for.

Krunal Pandya | MAN OF THE MATCH!

Says that it has been good two games for them and it’s a different experience playing here in the USA. Adds that he has been doing that for his team in the Indian T20 League or wherever he plays. Feels it’s important to be in a good frame of mind and is happy with the way he bowled. Adds that both the trades go together. Tells that he was trying to bowl outside the off-stump as the wicket was double-paced with some ball was skidding and some was not coming on.

Manish Madari
Manish Madari
Cricket Enthusiast, Amateur Writer And I Love The World Of Cricket

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