West Indies go up 1-0 with a combined team effort to beat India by 4 runs | West Indies v India 1st T20

The 1st T20 between the West Indies and India was played at Tarouba. Winning the toss, West Indies chose to bat first. West Indies beat India by 4 runs after an excellent bowling effort West Indies got off to a pretty decent start in the first 4 overs getting to 29/0. Yuzvendra Chahal got the breakthrough for India off his very first ball dismissing Kyle Mayers. A ball later, he went to get the set opener Brandon King. Post the powerplay, in the 7th over, Kuldeep Yadav dismissed the experienced Johnson Charles courtesy an excellent catch from Tilak Varma. India’s spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal bowled great lengths.

Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell got a partnership of 38 runs. Skipper Hardik Pandya took the key wicket of Nicholas Pooran for a well made 41 which consisted of 2 boundaries and 2 maximums. Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell had a partnership of 38 runs off 24 deliveries to take West Indies to 134/4 in 18 overs. India showcased great death bowling in the last 2 overs conceding just 15 runs and picking up 2 wickets. West Indies finished on a fighting total of 149/7. Arshdeep Singh and Yuzi Chahal starred for India with the ball picking up 2 wickets each.

Chasing 150, West Indies bowled great lines and lengths in the first few overs. Akeal Hosein got the key wicket of Shubman Gill. SuryaKumar Yadav tried to increase the momentum but Ishan Kishan lost his wicket at the other end. Tilak Varma had a great start to his international career, hitting 2 maximums off his first 3 balls. Tilak Varma batted really well, scoring at a strike rate of nearly 200. He got a quick fire- 31 runs off just 16 deliveries consisting of 2 boundaries and 3 maximums.

SuryaKumar Yadav and Tilak Varma had 39 run partnership and at that point in time India looked in cruise control. Both the set batters, SuryaKumar Yadav and Tilak Varma got out in quick succession. India needed 73 runs off the last 9 overs. Skipper Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson got a 36-run partnership to keep India in the game. Jason Holder proved to be the game changing player for West Indies bowling a wicket maiden in the 16th over which included the wicket of Hardik Pandya and a run out of Sanju Samson. For the first time in the run chase, the required run rate went above 9 runs.

Followed by some good death bowling, West Indies got the equation to 21 runs needed off the last 2 overs. Obed McCoy got the crucial wicket of Axar Patel in the first ball of the penultimate over. Arshdeep Singh got 2 boundaries to give India some hope and India needed 10 runs off the last over. Romario Shepherd picked up 2 wickets and conceded 5 runs off the last over to give West Indies a win. West Indies displayed a combined team effort to beat India by 4 runs in the first T20I and go 1-0 up in the series.