India’s batting once again struggled to get going as the Hardik Pandya-led side lost the first T20I against West Indies by four runs at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. Batting first, the home team posted 149 runs on board, after Nicholas Pooran (41) and skipper Rovman Powell (48) did a brilliant job with the bat.
India’s bowlers, meanwhile, looked good as Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up two wickets each. Notably, this was an important game for the leg-spinner as he was warming the bench for the entire ODI series. Hence, the cricketer had to prove a point and thus, did a good job on his return to the team.
When it came to the chase, both the openers, Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, failed to get going. Debutant Tilak Varma did a good job but no one supported him in the middle as wickets kept on falling, with the home team eventually winning the match by four runs. West Indies bowlers, meanwhile, did a commendable job as Obed McCoy, Jason Holder and Romario Shephard picked up two wickets each.
Talking Points from the 1st T20I between West Indies and India:
Tilak Varma’s impressive debut
Youngster Tilak Varma was brilliant in the opening T20I. The 20-year-old picked up an excellent catch in the eighth over and with the bat, he hit 39 runs off 22 deliveries. The young batter has all the ability to shine in international cricket and seems to have a bright future for India.
West Indies’ success with the ball
In the third and final ODI of the series, the home team was miserable with the ball, leaking 351 runs in 50 overs. However, in the first T20I, they bounced back and restricted India to 144. The Rovman Powell-led side will hope to continue in the same manner and win the series against India.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s return
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had to sit out for the entire ODI series as the team management backed Kuldeep Yadav in all three matches. However, in the first T20I, there was room for an extra spinner and that’s when Chahal came in and made a solid impact. If he manages to keep up with the same form, he can challenge Kuldeep for a spot in the ODI team.
India skipper Hardik Pandya said:
“We were right to chase. We made some errors which costed us the game. A young team will make mistakes. We will learn. Good four games ahead. In T20 cricket, if you lose wickets, it becomes difficult to chase. A couple of hits can change the momentum. When we lost a couple of wickets, that halted us. It (playing three spinners) was more to do with the spinners. We wanted to give opportunities to the two wristies. Mukesh (Kumar) – to have this two weeks in West Indies – to make debuts in all three formats is really good. He bowled a couple of overs back to back. Tilak – very pleasing to see. There’s confidence and fearlessness. They are going to do wonders for India.
West Indies skipper Rovman Powell said:
“It’s a very good feeling. We talked of starting this series on a positive note. They didn’t have a set batter and I was confident in the final over. After watching the Indians bowl, I thought we were a spinner short. It was difficult (to bat). We knew the new ball was going to give runs. This series will be decided on how West Indies batters bat against spin in the middle overs. The left-handers like Pooran, Hetmyer and Mayers will be key in that aspect. We have the power to load in the backend. I knew it was going to be difficult to start in the Caribbean. But once you get a start, it’s easier. Jason (Holder) was fantastic today.
Player of the Match Jason Holder said:
“The amount of cricket I’ve been playing is a lot. I try to refresh, I think it (break from the ODIs) was needed. I was happy just I stuck with my plans. I wanted to make them work hard for their runs, didn’t want to give easy runs. It (16th over) was the turning point as the game was getting close. The guys stuck together, total team effort. The conditions played in the favour of the bowlers. We got early wickets, which is very important.