Team India staged a spectacular comeback in the last two matches against West Indies to level the five-match T20I series 2-2. On Saturday, August 12, the Hardik Pandya-led team thrashed the home team by nine wickets to ensure that the series goes to a decider. Opting to bat first, Windies posted a respectable total of 178/8. In reply, India easily achieved the target in 17 overs.
A brilliant knock from Shai Hope (45 off 29) and Shimron Hetmyer (61 off 39) helped them cross the 170-run mark. For India, Arshdeep Singh (3/38) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/26) excelled in handling the ball. Chasing a competitive total, young openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill – started strongly and their record partnership set the stage for India’s dominant win.
In this article, we take a look at the top three talking points from the fourth T20I between India and West Indies.
3. Shimron Hetmyer is back to form
Shimron Hetmyer had a great outing with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 but could not repeat it with West Indies. The southpaw failed in the first three T20Is against India but managed to regain form with a blazing half-century in the fourth game. His 61 off 39, including three fours and four sixes, helped Windies post a competitive total on the board.
2. Impressive performance by Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep was destroyed by the Windies batters in the third T20I. But the 24-year-old made a brilliant comeback in the next match, taking three wickets for 38 runs in four overs. The left-arm pacer got rid of Kyle Meyers and Brandon King early in the innings to prevent the home team from getting off to a strong start. And towards the end, he dismissed the dangerous Hetmyer to have a good outing.
1. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s partnership
One of the major positives for India in the fourth T20I was Jaiswal and Shubman Gill‘s record leveling partnership. The two youngsters put on 165 off 93 balls for the first wicket and made the chase of 179 easy. They have now tied KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma’s record for the highest opening partnership for India.