Pooran fireworks, bowlers seal 2-0 series lead for West Indies

Aug 07, 2023 Sports

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West Indies vs. India 2^nd T201 at Providence…

 – Varma scores 51 for India in losing effort

Kaieteur Sports – Pyrotechnics from Nicholas Pooran, backed by some classy bowling gave West Indies a 2-Nil lead but more importantly the chance of a huge series win over India, who lost by 2 wickets during yesterday’s match played at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

West Indies kept their momentum after winning the opening battle, further applying pressure on the visitors as they look to sweep the series come Tuesday, beating India in back-to-back series since 2016.

Chasing 152, the home team ended on 155-8 in 18.5 overs. Pooran provided all the necessary showpieces needed to entertain the Guyanese crowd, blasting a 40-ball 67 with 6 fours and 4 massive sixes.

Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer hit a run-a-ball 22, Captain Rovman Powell (21) shared a crucial half-century stand with Pooran, while Akeal Hosein (16*) and Alzarri Joseph (10*) saw the Windies home during the back-end of the innings.

India captain Hardik Pandya led the bowling for his country, starring with figures of 3-35 with support coming from spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (2-19) and a wicket each coming from left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar.

Batting first, India did well to finish on 152-7 when their 20 overs expired, indebted mainly to the young Tilak Varma, who led with 51 off 42 balls with 5 fours and a six.

India opener Ishan Kishan gave his team the ideal start with 2 sixes and 2 fours in his 27 from 23 balls, while Captain Pandya was the next best scorer hitting 24 off 18 (6×2) and Axar Patel (14), completed the list of primary run-scorers for their team.

West Indies bowlers were on point during their respective spells, with the pacers Joseph (2-28) and Guyanese Romario Shepherd (2-28) and left-arm spinner Hosein (2-29) working a 3-man job to keep India at bay.

Chasing a decent target, the home team got off to a horrific start losing opener Brandon King (0) on the first ball, followed by Johnson Charles (2) a few deliveries later, courtesy of the magic hand of the skipper Pandya.

Opener Kyle Mayers turned on the heat for a moment, smashing 15 off just 7 balls with a pair of fours and one big six before being undone by a swinging delivery from the left-arm pacer Singh. Pooran eased the nerves a bit with his timely power-hitting, greeting leg-spinner Bishnoi with some brutal strokes, as he went for 18 runs in his first over, as the Caribbean side ended on 61-3 after 6 overs.

The left-hander brought up his 50 off 29 deliveries with his team still needing a further 70 runs in order to seal the deal but soon lost his captain, who was removed by his opposite number Pandya, who grabbed his 3^rd wicket.

An incoming Hetmyer, who received a loud cheer from the home crowd, survived a catch review which showed the ball made contact with the ground before going into the fielder’s palms and followed up with a 90 meter six which brought the crowd to their feet.

‘Hetty’ then took his total into the 20’s but fell to some wily bowling from Chahal while Pooran also found himself back in the Pavilion, leaving the West Indies in a bit of trouble with a small deficit to wipe.

However, the pair of Hosein and Joseph held their nerves while accumulating three highly-required boundaries which in the end helped the pair to see their team over the finish line.

Earlier, Varma despite losing most of his top-order partners, including a dangerous looking Kishan, remained steady during the ebb and flow of India’s innings. The 20-year-old, playing his 2nd T20I, paced his innings nicely bringing up his half-century off 39 balls, but more importantly digging his team out of a hole.

Shortly thereafter, Hosein landed a double blow, removing India’s top-scorer who was out caught and accounting for the wicket of the dangerous Sanju Samson (7).

Pandya, seeing his team’s deficit of overs beginning to thin with wickets also falling, smashed a pair of lusty sixes off Joseph before being served a deadly Yorker which sent the India captain packing.

Homeboy Shepherd, reintroduced into the attack, immediately yielded results when he removed Patel, who mistimed a short delivery, only to be caught by the gloveman Pooran as overs eventually expired.

Scores: West Indies 155 or 8 (Pooran 67, Pandya 3-35, Chahal 2-19) beat India 152 for 7 (Tilak 51, Joseph 2-28, Shepherd 2-28) by two wickets.

 

 

 

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• Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar, Captain Rovman Powell, Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer hit a run-a-ball 22, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal

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