West Indies v India
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First T20 International
Venue: Brian Lara Cricket Academy
Toss: West Indies won the toss and batted
Result: West Indies won by 4 runs
Scorecard: https://matchcentre.windiescricket.com/match/3e2330cc-c7fd-41db-8e43-d3298b3d897c/scorecard
SAN FERNANDO, Trinidad – Jason Holder’s heroics with the ball helped the West Indies cross the line and achieve a 1-0 series lead. Winning the toss and batting first at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, the Men in Maroon scored 149-6 in their full allotment of 20 overs. Captain Rovman Powell top scored, hitting three fours and three sixes in a knock of 48 (32 balls). Wicketkeeper batsman, Nicholas Pooran (41 from 34) also played well, after opener Brandon King (28 from 19) got the West Indies off to a fairly decent start on a tricky pitch.
Arshdeep Singh (2-31) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2-24) picked up two wickets a piece, with Hardik Pandya (1-27) and Kuldeep Yadav (1-20) accounting for the other wickets.
In reply, India found the going tough as West Indies bowlers were on song. Suryakumar Yadav (21 from 21) got a start but was unable to kick on. Debutant Tilak Varma (39 from 22) followed suit and was supported by Pandya (19 from 19) for a while, before they both lost their wickets.
Holder’s (2-19) spell was the catalyst for the West Indies victory, especially 16th over, where he picked up the crucial wicket of Pandya and Kyle Mayers effected the runout of Sanju Samson (12 from 12). Obed McCoy (2-28) and Romario Shepherd (2-33) also picked up two wickets in the match, with Akeal Hosein (1-17) accounting for the other in a miserly spell.
India ended up falling short by four runs after some effective death bowling by the West Indies.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Player-of-the-Match Jason Holder stated: “I thought we posted a decent total based on the conditions. I knew that if we got early wickets we would be in the game. It is not an easy wicket to start on, so we saw both sides struggling to gain momentum. We knew once we got into their middle (order), we were always in the game.
The series continues at the Guyana National Stadium for the second and third matches on Sunday 6 August and Tuesday 8 August. The fourth and fifth matches will be at Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida on Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August.
-CWI
