Indian cricket fans were in shock after seeing team India’s bizarre performance in the first T20Is against West Indies at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy. West Indies defeated India by a mere margin of 4 runs and took the lead 1-0 in the 5-match T20I series.
India and West Indies recently started their T20-match series as a part of their preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. West Indies were ready to clash against India as they previously had lost both the Test and the ODI series against the visitors. However, the T20 series didn’t begin on a positive note for India, as they lost the opening match by just 4 runs at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on August 3.
In the first T20I of the five-match series, the West Indies won the toss and chose to bat. Brandon King made a quick start by scoring 28 runs, but Yuzvendra Chahal, who came into the attack in the fifth over, made an immediate impact by taking two crucial wickets in the same over, dismissing King and Kyle Mayers.
Nicholas Pooran played an explosive innings, scoring 41 runs off 34 balls, and Captain Rovman Powell contributed 48 runs, helping the West Indies reach a competitive total of 149 runs. Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh of India stood out for their bowling efforts.
During India’s chase, they faced early setbacks with the dismissals of Shubman Gill (3) and Ishan Kishan (6). Suryakumar Yadav fought hard, scoring 21 runs from 21 balls. Debutant Tilak Varma showed promise, scoring an impressive 39 runs off just 22 balls before getting out in the 11th over.
Unfortunately, India missed the presence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and their T20 captain, Hardik Pandya, couldn’t lead the team to victory in the first T20 match.
