West Indies won the final and decider T20I against India to seal the series 3-2 on August 13. This is the first time when India lost the T20I bilaterals against the West Indies since 2016. The former Indian pace bowler, Irfan Pathan has expressed his disappointment regarding India’s performance amid the series loss.
Following their successful performances in the Test and ODI series against the West Indies, India endured a severe setback in the form of a 2-3 loss in the five-match T20I series. The Indian team, led by Hardik Pandya, exhibited perseverance by rebounding from a 0-2 deficit with two consecutive wins, giving fuel to prospects of a miraculous series victory. However, the West Indies answered these expectations with superb bowling and calm batting, gaining their own victory.
Irfan Pathan, the former Indian all-rounder, conveyed his congrats to the West Indies for their incredible 3-2 series win. He also stressed the necessity of the Indian management dissecting the defeat against a lower-ranked opponent, underlining the need for a comprehensive investigation.
“Congratulations to the West Indies team on a well-deserved series win! Team India must reflect on this defeat, as losing to a lower-ranked team is indeed worrisome,” Irfan posted on his ‘X’ handle.
The ‘Men in Blue’ began by batting after securing the coin toss, but their inexperienced opening batters fell early in the game. Suryakumar Yadav played an adventurous innings, getting 61 runs off 45 deliveries. This effort enabled India to achieve a respectable total of 165/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Tilak Varma demonstrated his talent once again, contributing a fast 27 runs off just 18 balls, however, he couldn’t build on the auspicious start.
On the bowling front, Romario Shepherd performed brilliantly by collecting four wickets. Jason Holder and Akeal Hosein also made their mark, grabbing two wickets each. In response, Brandon King, who had been somewhat restrained in the series, demonstrated his prowess with an unbroken 85 runs off 55 balls. His performance played a significant role in leading the side to win with eight wickets in hand and two overs to spare. Nicholas Pooran, who was already in strong form, helped to the team’s win with a solid 47 runs off 35 balls.
Nicholas Pooran, the former captain of West Indies, justifiably received the Player of the Series award owing to his steady batting performance during the competition. He stood up as the most reliable batter for the home team throughout the series.
Just last month, the 27-year-old displayed his prowess by making a century in the final match, clinching the Major League Cricket title for MI New York. This momentum easily flowed into the T20 International (T20I) series against India, when Pooran continued to dazzle with his outstanding batting displays, especially on hard grounds.
Over the course of five games, Pooran managed to accumulate a total of 176 runs in 124 deliveries, keeping an amazing average of 35.20 and a remarkable strike rate of 141.94. Notably, his top score of 67 runs off 40 balls was during the second T20I in Guyana. In that particular match, most other batters, from both sides, found it difficult to adapt to the conditions, making Pooran’s performance all the more commendable.
