IND vs WI 1st T20I: Bowlers Run Riot As India Rout West Indies By 68 Runs To Take 1-0 Lead

Brief Scores: India 190/6 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 64, Dinesh Karthik 41, Alzarri Joseph 2/46, Akeal Hosein 1/14) West Indies: 122 for 8 in 20 overs (Shamarh Brooks 20; Ravichandran Ashwin 2/22, Ravi Bishnoi 2/26, Arshdeep Singh 2/24).

Trinidad: Nicholas Pooran and his men slumped to their 5th consecutive defeat in the tour, on Friday, as India won the 1st T20I by 68 runs. Brian Lara stadium in Trinidad witnessed it’s highest 1st innings score as India scored 190/6 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first on a slow wicket. Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik were top scorers in the innings.

While Rohit set up the platform with a 44-ball-64, it was Karthik’s calculated assault — an unbeaten 41 off 19 balls — that took India to 190 for six after being put into bat.

The last three overs of the Indian innings yielded 45 runs, which became the turning point.

On a track where there was spongy bounce with a bit of turn and grip, Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (2/22 in 4 overs), Ravindra Jadeja (1/26 in 4 overs) and Ravi Bishnoi (2/26 in 4 overs) got wickets at regular intervals to restrict the hosts at 122 for eight in 20 overs.

Arshdeep Singh (2/24 in 4 overs) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/11 in 2 overs), despite some initial pasting, got their share of breakthroughs. Hence, a below-par show by top-order, save Rohit, didn’t have telling consequences on India.

For coach Rahul Dravid, almost all the strategic changes in the playing XI seemed to work.

Suryakumar Yadav (24 off 16 balls) provided an interesting option as an opener while the manner in which Arshdeep deceived a rampaging Kyle Mayers with a short delivery spoke volumes about his temperament.

Ashwin and Bishnoi, both non-regulars in the playing XI, were brilliant as the former showed his variations and the latter was happy bowling a bunch of googlies which the opposition batters failed to read on most occasions.

Inputs from PTI