India won the fourth T20I against West Indies by 59 runs in Lauderhill, Florida, on August 6, Saturday. India also took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, making it the third successive series win in T20Is. The Men in Blue also completed the double of winning the series home and away against West Indies in a calendar year.
Coming to the contest, West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran won the toss and elected to field first. India were off to a flyer as they brought up their fifty in only 4.3 overs but Rohit Sharma got out the very next ball, scoring 33 runs off 16 balls. His partner Suryakumar Yadav departed in the next over, and India’s score by the end of the six-over powerplay was 65 for the loss of two wickets.
Deepak Hooda was sent in at number three and scored 21 runs off 19 balls. Then came the innings-defining contributions from Rishabh Pant, who scored 44 runs off 31 balls, and Sanju Samson, who finished unbeaten on 30 off 23 balls. Axar Patel did the finishing job with an unbeaten handy cameo of 20 runs off eight balls, taking India to 191/5 in 20 overs.
For West Indies, the pick of the bowlers was Alzarri Joseph, who finished his four-over spell with two wickets, conceding 29 runs. Obed McCoy, on the other hand, had a forgettable game, conceding 66 runs in four overs but also scalping two wickets.
Avesh Khan strikes in the powerplay
West Indies, chasing a stiff target of 192, lost three wickets for 49 runs in the first five overs. Fast bowler Avesh Khan got the wickets of opening batter Brandon King and number three batter Devon Thomas for 13 and one respectively. The Windies skipper got a good start, scoring 24 runs off eight balls, but was run out trying to take a quick single in the fifth over.
By the end of the seventh over, the hosts were four wickets down for 64 runs. Rovman Powell provided some hope for the Windies in the middle, but his stay was also short-lived as he departed scoring 24 off 16 balls. And with Jason Holder losing his wicket in the 12th over for 13 off nine balls, all hope was on Shimron Hetmyer, with the side needing 91 off 52 balls.
Hetmyer, however, departed for a run-a-ball 19, and West Indies were eight wickets down for 116 after 15 overs. Arsshdeep Singh did the clean-up job, dismissing the number seven, nine and eleven, sealing the deal for Team India. The final T20I will be played on Sunday at the same venue.
Losing skipper, Nicholas Pooran said:
We know they got off to a flying start, but I was happy with the way our guys came back. Unfortunately we didn’t get a partnership, it was a par score. Not ideal to get run out, it changed the game. There was some miscommunication. But the other guys could have put their hands up and taken us over the line. Akeal was brilliant with the ball. The others too need to find their rhythm and find the game. But having said that, congratulations to India. As a unit we want to win games and tomorrow is an opportunity to take it. It give other guys an opportunity to come in. It is all about building up to that World Cup and finding that balance.
Winning skipper, Rohit Sharma:
I think it was pleasing how we played the game. The conditions were not easy but we got to a good score. A lot of thought went in on how we batted and it was pleasing to see. The pitch was quite slow which our bowlers used to their advantage. I thought 190 was a good score, but with the kind of batting that WI have, no score is good.
We played good cricket to get the win today. The batters were really smart and the bowlers bowled in pairs to get wickets. It put the brakes on their scoring. We do understand Avesh’s talent. Anyone can have one or two bad games, but we want to keep his skills in mind.
We want to give boys enough game time in the middle. He used the conditions and his height really well, which was great to see. I would also like to thank all the people who came in; I know it is hot and it isn’t easy to sit out
there and watch the game. There’s another day to go.Player of the Match, Avesh Khan said:
I feel really good because I didn’t do well in the last two games. I just focussed on my strengths today, bowling the hard lengths. My coaches and my captain told me that they were backing me. They told me to bounce back and backed me a lot. I am focussing on the next match that is left now. The ball was stopping a bit in the wicket and so I was just mixing my slower deliveries with the hard lengths, which gave me the results. This ground feels like India only, it feels like home. Happy that the crowd came to see us.
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