In a gripping final clash of the 5-match T20 series between West Indies and India, the Caribbean team emerged victorious by 8 wickets. The action-packed encounter took place at Lauderhill, Florida, where India won the toss and elected to bat first. Brandon King played a sensible knock of 85 runs in 55 balls and struck 5 fours and 6 sixes. Brandon King didn’t panic when the destructive batter Kyle Mayers was dismissed cheaply during the run chase.
India posted a competitive total of 165-9 in their 20 overs, but West Indies chased it down with finesse, reaching 172-2 in just 18 overs. Brandon King looked in complete control and this time Brandon King rotated strike against the sly spinners. This victory secured West Indies’ first-ever 5-match T20 series win against India.
India hadn’t lost a bilateral series until now since their defeat against Sri Lanka in 2021. From then until this tour began, they won 11 out of 12 two-team series, with their only other result being a 2-2 draw against South Africa last year. With this defeat, India suffered a loss in an international series (minimum three-match series) against West Indies for the first time in 17 years.
Top Performer of the Match
Romario Shepherd Shines Bright in the last and decisive T20I. Romario Shepherd turned the tide in West Indies’ favor with an exceptional performance, bagging 4 wickets of Sanju Samson (13), Hardik Pandya (14), Arshdeep Singh (8), and Kuldeep Yadav (0) for 31 runs in his 4-over spell. He was not only instrumental in halting India’s momentum but also emerged as the highest wicket-taker of the series, claiming 9 wickets in 5 matches at an impressive average of 18.1.
Brandon King’s Heroics Steer West Indies Forward. Brandon King’s explosive knock of 85 runs off 55 balls, including 5 fours and 6 sixes with a strike rate of 154.55, proved to be the cornerstone of West Indies’ successful chase. Brandon Kings’ steady and aggressive innings helped keep the momentum in his team’s favor, guiding them to a well-deserved victory. Brandon King looked as if he was on a mission because he took calculative risks.
Nicholas Pooran emerged as The Game Changer. Nicholas Pooran displayed exceptional skill and determination by shifting gears and stepping up the batting order, coming in at no. 3 instead of his usual position at no. 4. His crucial innings of 47 runs off 35 balls, featuring 1 four and 4 sixes with a strike rate of 134.29, played a pivotal role in sealing the series win for West Indies. It was also notable that he fell victim to Tilak Varma’s delivery, marking Varma’s maiden T20I wicket.
Number One ranked T20I batsman Suryakumar Yadav’s Valiant Effort for India goes in vain. Suryakumar Yadav’s outstanding batting performance stood out for India, as he notched up a brilliant 61 runs off 45 balls, including 4 fours and 3 sixes. He achieved his 15th T20I fifty in just his 53rd T20I match. His explosive innings held the innings together and enabled India to set a competitive total. Despite his efforts, India fell short in the end.
Deplorable Loss by Team India, Captaincy Woes, and Lack of Intent
Hardik Pandya’s captaincy came under scrutiny due to questionable decisions, notably not utilizing bowlers like Mukesh Kumar and Axar Patel during the crucial initial overs. Pandya’s slow innings of 14 runs off 18 balls added pressure to Suryakumar Yadav, hindering India’s momentum and overall performance.
Furthermore, the lack of intent from Indian batsmen like Sanju Samson, who made 32 runs in 3 innings with a poor average of 10.6, and Shubham Gill, who made just 102 runs in 5 innings with an average of 20.4, couldn’t capitalize on their starts, contributing to India’s downfall in the whole series.
In contrast, Nicholas Pooran’s exceptional performances were the turning point in the series where he scored a total of 176 runs in 5 innings with an average of 35.2 at the strike rate of 141.9, highlighting the inconsistency of the Indian batting lineup.
The standout and most notable positive for India lies in the performance of Tilak Varma, who earned the opportunity to make his debut for the Indian team in this T20I series. His scores of 39, 51, 49*, 7*, and 27 across the series reflect his consistent contributions.
With a cumulative total of 173 runs in 5 innings, an impressive average of 57.6, and a strike rate of 140.6, he emerged as the leading run-scorer for India in the T20I series. Additionally, Tilak Varma showcased his all-round ability by also securing a wicket, that of the menacing Nicholas Pooran, who had been a significant threat in the final T20I.
All 10 Match Results of this Series
1st Test – India won by an innings and 141 runs (Roseau, Dominica)
2nd Test – Match Drawn (Port of Spain, Trinidad)
1st ODI – India won by 5 wickets (Bridgestone, Barbados)
2nd ODI – West Indies won by 6 wickets (Bridgestone, Barbados)
3rd ODI – India won by 200 runs (Tarouba, Trinidad)
1st T20 – West Indies won by 4 runs (Tarouba, Trinidad)
2nd T20 – West Indies won by 2 wickets (Guyana)
3rd T20 – India won by 7 wickets (Guyana)
4th T20 – India Won by 9 wickets (Lauderhill, Florida)
5th T20 – West Indies won by 8 wickets (Lauderhill, Florida)
What’s Next
India’s shortcomings in captaincy decisions and batting intent were key factors that led to their series loss, ending a streak of successful bilateral series wins. India will now face Ireland in Ireland for the 3 T20I series where fans will witness the Return of Jasprit Bumrah who has been out of action for a while now due to injury. He has been announced as the captain of Team India and will lead India in that series.
On the other hand, West Indies end their home summer season on a high note with a T20I series win by 3-2 against India. West Indies have surprised everyone with their performances across formats, where fans were expecting that India would clean sweep West Indies by 10-0 by winning 2 test matches, 3 ODIs, and 5 T20s, but West Indies managed to draw one test, win 1 ODI, and win 3 T20Is. As of now, the next assignment for West Indies is at home where they will host the world T20 champions England from 3rd December 2023 for 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is.
Schedule and Time of T20I matches of India against Ireland
1st T20I (18 August, 2023) – The Village, Dublin, 7:30PM IST
2nd T20I (20 August, 2023) – The Village, Dublin, 7:30PM IST
3rd T20I (23 August, 2023) – The Village, Dublin, 7:30PM IST
India T20I squad against Ireland : Jasprit Bumrah (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Sanju Samson.
Ireland Squad: Paul Stirling (Captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, Barry McCarthy, Theo van Woerkom, Benjamin White, Craig Young, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Lorcan Tucker (WK), Mark Adair, and Joshua Little.