India kept the 5-match T20I series alive by defeating the hosts West Indies in the third T20I in Guyana. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma shine in the decider game.
Choosing to bat first, the West Indies amassed a total of 159 runs while losing five wickets. The team received a strong finish from their captain Rovman Powell, who contributed an unbeaten 40 runs from just 19 balls. Brandon King also made a notable score of 42 runs from 42 balls at the top of the order. However, in-form batsman Nicholas Pooran was stumped by Sanju Samson off a delivery from Kuldeep Yadav after scoring 20 runs from 12 balls.
Kuldeep Yadav proved to be impactful for India, securing three wickets for 28 runs in his four-over spell. Axar Patel and Mukes Kumar also managed to claim a wicket each. In response, India faced an early setback with the loss of debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 1 run from 2 balls. His opening partner, Shubman Gill, departed after contributing 6 runs from 11 balls.
Nevertheless, a batting showcase unfolded with a masterful performance from Suryakumar Yadav, who played an impressive innings of 83 runs from 44 balls. Coupled with another notable contribution from Tilak Varma, who remained unbeaten with 49 runs from 37 balls, India successfully chased down the target of 160 runs. They achieved this victory with seven wickets in hand and 13 balls to spare. Hardik Pandya concluded the innings unbeaten, having scored 20 runs from 15 balls.
“It was really important to be myself in the powerplay. The team wanted me to bat as much as possible. I practiced these [scoops] strokes a lot. I have loved to do that. I just like to express myself. [Batting with Tilak] We’ve batted for a long time now. We both understand each other. It was his day to bat with maturity. He was batting with a lot of confidence. Helped me bat well. We spoke in the team meeting. Our captain said it was important for someone to put their hand up,” Suryakumar Yadav said after winning the Player of the Match award.
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