Up against West Indies in tour that consisted of 2 Tests, 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is, the expectations from the subcontinent giants was that they would produce clean sweeps across formats. But, the reality was something else. The Test series resulted in a 1-0 win for India, with one drawn Test while the ODI assignment saw the team produce a 2-1 win. But, it was in the shortest format that the team was up for a shock. With Nicholas Pooran in prime form, West Indies stunned India 3-2, securing an unlikely series win that put the Indian team in the line of fire.
In the decisive 5th T20I, Suryakumar Yadav was the only Indian batter that looked on song, scoring 61 runs off 45 balls. Tilak Varma also produced a fine cameo of 18-ball 27 as the tourists posted 165 runs on the board on a tricky wicket.
But, West Indies batters were rarely troubled on the pitch, with opening batter Brandon King leading the onslaught with an unbeaten 55-ball 85. Nicholas Pooran scored 47 off 35 while Shai Hope gave the finishing touch with his 13-ball 22.
The 5th T20I concluded with an 8-wicket win for West Indies as the chase was wrapped up with 2 overs to spare.
With the series defeat, the Indian team registered some unwanted records and milestones. They are:
- It is the first that the Indian team lost a T20i series in 25 months.
- In terms of bilateral assignments, it’s the first time that India lost to West Indies in 17 years.
- Before this series, India had never lost three matches in a single T20I series in the team’s history.
The nature of the result can be understood with the fact that West Indies had failed to even qualify for the 2022 T20 World Cup. Though a different format, the West Indies team won’t be participating in the 2023 ODI World Cup, having failed to secure qualification.
The result, hence, is historic from the hosts’ point of view and shambolic from the visitors’ perspective.
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