WI vs IND: 5th T20I Review – India once against thump West Indies
India decimated the West Indies by 88 runs in the fifth and final T20I at the Central Broward Park in Lauderhill, Florida and by virtue of this comprehensive win finished the series by a 4-1 margin.
Just like the previous game, the Windies batters failed to show any application in their innings and were yet again dismissed cheaply chasing a stiff target. Stand-in captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bat first. Even though opener Ishan Kishan was dismissed, Shreyas Iyer roared back to form with a brave half-century and got good support from Deepak Hooda (38) as the duo added 76 runs for the second wicket. A quickfire 16-ball 28 from Hardik helped India finish at 188/7.
For the West Indies, Odean Smith was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/33.
In reply, all-rounder Jason Holder was promoted up the order as a pinch-hitter to open the innings. However, the move completely backfired as he was dismissed for a three-ball duck in the very first over by Axar Patel.
Only middle-order batter Shimron Hetmyer was the lone warrior for the hosts as he scored a blistering 56 runs off 35 deliveries in what was otherwise a sorry-looking scorecard for them. The two-time T20 world champions were bundled out for 100 in the 16th over.
For India, it was total dominance from the spinners as they accounted for all of the 10 Caribbean wickets.
Top performers of the match
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer rose to the occasion when it mattered the most and made the most of his opportunities as a middle-order batter. His half-century and a vital partnership with Deepak Hooda set the tone for India scoring a total in excess of 180. Iyer scored 64 runs off 40 deliveries at a strike rate of 160 including eight fours and two sixes.
Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi bamboozled the famed West Indies batting line-up with his accurate lines and lengths and kept them guessing as they failed to pick him in the final match of the series. Bishnoi accounted for the likes of Rovman Powell, Keemo Paul, Obed McCoy and a well-set Shimron Hetmyer to finish with figures of 4/16 from his 2.4 overs at an economy of six.
What’s next for both sides?
The West Indies will be hoping to take this series loss as an eye-opener heading into the T20 World Cup down under in a couple of months’ time while India would be hoping to maintain consistency in the Asia Cup as they start their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on August 28.
