WI vs IND: Romario Shepherd, Brandon King guide West Indies to 1st T20I series win vs India in over 6 years

Romario Shepherd and Brandon King were the standout performers for the West Indies as they registered their first T20I series win against India in over six years. The Windies defeated the Men in Blue by eight wickets in Florida to clinch the five-match series 3-2.

India's tour of West Indies: Full Coverage

India skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bat first at the Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.

India’s opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill failed to fire in the T20I series decider after stitching India’s record-equaling opening stand in the fourth match of the series.

Jaiswal started off in aggressive fashion and hit Akeal Hossain for a boundary off a reverse sweep before being caught and bowled three balls later. Jaiswal departed after scoring five runs off four deliveries.

Meanwhile, his opening partner Gill also fell at the hands of Hossien, being caught LBW in the third over. Gill scored nine runs off as many balls, hitting a solitary boundary to leave India reeling at 17 for 2.

Suryakumar steps up for India

Then India’s vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav formed a crucial 49-run stand with the in-form Tilak Varma before the left-handed batter was caught and bowled by Roston Chase after scoring 27 runs off 18 deliveries.

Wicket-keeping batter Sanju Samson completed 6000 runs in T20s but failed to make a positive impression once again, falling after scoring 13 runs off nine deliveries. Following Samson’s dismissal, Suryakumar took matters in his own hands and raced away to his 15th T20I half-century.

Rain played spoilsport and forced play to be stopped, following which Pandya lost his wicket to Romario Shepherd, who claimed his second scalp of the evening. Pandya scored 14 runs off 18 deliveries, hitting a solitary maximum.

Surykumar followed his skipper back to the pavilion in the very next over, being dismissed after scoring 61 runs off 45 balls, smashing four boundaries and three sixes. Axar Patel scored a 10-ball 13, while Arshdeep Singh chipped in with eight runs as India ended the first innings with 165 for 9 on the scoreboard.

Shepherd was the standout bowler for the Windies, claiming four wickets and giving away 31 runs, while Jason Holder and Hossian contributed with two wickets each.

In the second innings, Kyle Mayers started off by smashing Pandya for a six and four in the very first over. However, Arshdeep came back to haunt the Windies opener, picking up Mayers’ wicket in the very next over.

King, Pooran take control

West Indies’ danger man Nicholas Pooran came in with all guns blazing and smashed three sixes, one off Arshdeep and two off Pandya. Brandon King also went neck-to-neck with Pooran as the two batters kept scoring at a run-rate of almost 10 per over.

Rain played spoilsport even in the second innings and forced play to be stopped a few times, albeit for short intervals. Pooran and King formed a vital 105-run stand to cement West Indies’ stronghold in the match. Both the batters went on to hit half-centuries as they took the game away from India.

Pooran, who has been dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav twice in this series, was cautious against the Indian spinner and saw off his four overs. Kuldeep went wicket-less while giving away just 18 runs in four overs.

Varma strikes with the ball

The match sustained another halt, this time due to a chance of lightning. Following the resumption, Tilak Varma was given the ball for the first time in the series and he produced by dismissing Pooran off the second ball of the over.

However, Pooran’s wicket came too little, too late for India as the damage had already been done by the left-handed batter. Shai Hope came in to bat next and stuck around till the end to see the hosts chase the target with eight wickets and two overs remaining.

King remained unbeaten on 85 runs off 55 deliveries, smashing five boundaries and six maximums, while Hope, who finished the match with a six, scored a 13-ball 22.

The West Indies clinched the series 3-2 despite India’s late comeback after winning the third and fourth matches. This was West Indies’ first T20I series win against India since 2017 and their third overall.