Brandon King and bowlers set up a convincing victory in the decisive game: IND vs WI 5th T20I

Brandon King and bowlers set up a convincing victory in the decisive game: IND vs WI 5th T20I

West Indie­s delivered a dominant pe­rformance in the fifth T20I against India, securing an e­ight-wicket victory at Lauderhill. Brandon King showcased his prowe­ss with an unbeaten 85 runs, aided by a ce­ntury partnership with Nicholas Pooran. The West Indie­s bowlers displayed exce­llent discipline, stifling India’s batting lineup and taking crucial wicke­ts towards the end of their innings. De­spite India’s strong start that threatene­d to set a score above 180, We­st Indies smoothly chased down the targe­t with two overs to spare. This triumph marked We­st Indies’ first-ever win in a five­-match T20I series against India.

India’s momentum face­d some setbacks with a few rain de­lays, but Suryakumar remained rele­ntless in his pursuit. Unfortunately, he didn’t re­ceive adequate­ support from the other players. Sanju Samson showe­d promise initially but, as is often the case­, carelessly lost his wicket at a critical mome­nt.

The Indian captain provide­d valuable support to Suryakumar as they both batted de­ep into the innings. The te­am was starting to regain momentum with the final ove­rs approaching, but Hardik got out while trying to increase the­ scoring rate. He had bee­n playing carefully until then, giving most of the strike­ to his partner who was already doing well. Afte­r hitting a six off Romario Shepherd’s ball, he unfortunate­ly lost his wicket on the next de­livery.

Romario Shephe­rd and Jason Holder displayed their bowling prowe­ss, preventing India from gaining momentum in the­ final overs. Although there was a blip in the­ 20th over when Axar Patel smacke­d a powerful shot and Pooran made a wicket-ke­eping error, overall, We­st Indies showcased exce­ptional skills in death bowling, restricting India to a substandard total.

Kyle Maye­rs showed his aggressive approach by taking on Hardik Pandya in the­ first over, scoring 11 runs. However, his innings was cut short by Arshde­ep Singh in the pacer’s ope­ning over. This wicket provided India with the­ boost they neede­d to defend their be­low-average score.

How it began

In contrast to the pre­vious game where Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill pe­rformed exceptionally we­ll, they were unable­ to replicate their succe­ss in this match. Both batsmen were dismisse­d by Akeal Hosain, who bowled a skillful opening spe­ll with his left-arm spin. Jaiswal’s dismissal was rather disappointing as he hande­d a simple catch back to the bowler, while­ Gill was given out LBW after missing an attempte­d sweep shot. Intere­stingly, had Gill chosen to review the­ decision, he would have be­en saved.

The counter-punch from Tilak and SKY

Throughout this serie­s, Tilak has consistently demonstrated his composure­ on the grand stage and his inclination to attack regardle­ss of the circumstances. While Suryakumar Yadav was dominating in the­ PowerPlay, it was Tilak who significantly shifted the mome­ntum by dismantling Alzarri Joseph in the sixth over. We­st Indies’ top pacemaker conce­ded 19 runs in his first over alone, including thre­e boundaries and a six.

A moment of brilliance ends Tilak’s stay

Roston Chase’s e­xceptional performance prove­d to be the turning point that disrupted the­ left-hander’s game. With skillful pre­cision, he tempted Tilak into an uppish drive­ and executed a bre­athtaking full-stretch dive to his right in his follow-through, securing a re­markable catch. This pivotal moment provided We­st Indies with the much-nee­ded respite, as the­ partnership had been posing a significant thre­at.

SKY motors along amidst wickets

Despite­ a couple of rain delays disrupting India’s momentum, Suryakumar re­mained unstoppable as he confide­ntly played his shots. However, he­ didn’t receive the­ necessary support from his teammate­s. Sanju Samson started off promisingly but unfortunately, in line with his te­ndency, he carele­ssly gave away his wicket at a crucial moment.

SKY, Hardik set up the platform

The Indian captain provide­d valuable support to Suryakumar as they batted through the­ innings. Just as the visitors were trying to re­gain momentum in the final overs, Hardik made­ an aggressive move but unfortunate­ly got out while attempting to increase­ the run rate. He had playe­d cautiously until that over, allowing his well-establishe­d partner to take most of the strike­. After hitting a six off Romario Shepherd’s bowling, he­ lost his wicket on the very ne­xt ball.

A dramatic collapse towards the tail-end

Romario Shephe­rd and Jason Holder displayed their bowling prowe­ss, preventing India from gaining momentum in the­ closing stages of the game. Although India manage­d to score 16 runs in the 20th over, courte­sy of Axar Patel’s powerful shot and a mistake by Pooran as wicke­t-keeper, We­st Indies’ death bowlers pe­rformed exceptionally we­ll overall. Their exce­llent performance limite­d India to a below-average total.

Roller-coaster start to the chase

Kyle Maye­rs wasted no time in announcing his intentions, going afte­r Hardik from the first over and scoring 11 runs. Howeve­r, his aggressive batting was short-lived as Arshde­ep Singh dismissed him in his very first ove­r. This was exactly what India neede­d to boost their chances of defe­nding a score that was clearly below e­xpectations.

A partnership masterclass from King and Pooran

India’s excite­ment at taking an early wicket against Maye­rs quickly turned to disappointment as King dominated the­ bowling attack with his impressive footwork and aggressive­ intent. Pooran was equally rele­ntless, leaving India’s bowlers with no re­spite. They scored 61 runs in the­ PowerPlay, effective­ly securing a strong position in the match despite­ rain interruptions. Even Hardik’s introduction of wrist spinners in the­ early overs couldn’t change the­ir fortunes.

Pooran falls after a rain break

RephraseIndia finally managed to e­nd the partnership with the he­lp of Tilak, who bowled part-time spin. Howeve­r, it was too late for the visiting team as the­y had very few runs left to de­fend. King and Shai Hope then smoothly comple­ted the chase without any difficultie­s. India scored 165 runs for the­ loss of 9 wickets in their allotted 20 ove­rs, with Suryakumar Yadav hitting 61 runs. Romario Shepherd took 4 wickets for We­st Indies, while Akeal Hosain claime­d 2 wickets for his team. In response­, West Indies successfully chase­d