In a gripping contest, West Indies emerged victorious against India, clinching a thrilling victory by 2 wickets. Chasing a target of 153, the Windies were led by Nicholas Pooran’s exceptional batting, while India faced a mini-collapse after his dismissal. Despite Hardik Pandya’s commendable all-round performance, the visitors trailed 2-0 in the series. Pandya expressed disappointment over India’s batting performance and emphasized the need for the top order to step up.
West Indies embarked on a successful run chase, with Nicholas Pooran being the catalyst of their pursuit. His brilliant batting allowed the Windies to cruise towards their target of 153 comfortably. However, Pooran’s dismissal triggered a mini-collapse, as the hosts lost four wickets in just two runs. Despite the wobble, the Windies’ tail-enders, Akeal Hosein and Alzarri Joseph, exhibited great composure and skill to steer the team to a thrilling victory.
India’s batting line-up faced a tough challenge in the match. Prominent names like Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, and Sanju Samson failed to make substantial contributions, causing India to fall short of a competitive total. Captain Hardik Pandya expressed his discontent with the team’s batting display, stressing that a score of 160+ or 170 would have been ideal. He emphasized the need for the top seven batters to take greater responsibility, hoping the bowlers can continue delivering match-winning performances.
“If am being honest that was not a pleasing batting performance, we could have batted better. 160+ or 170 would have been a good total and we were short. With the current combination we have we will have to trust our top 7 batters to come good and hope the bowlers win you games,” Pandya said at the post-match presentation.
Despite the defeat, Hardik Pandya acknowledged Nicholas Pooran’s exceptional batting performance. He praised Pooran for his aggressive approach, which put immense pressure on the Indian bowlers. Pooran’s counterattacking knock changed the course of the game and gave the Windies a significant advantage. Pandya recognized the challenge faced by bowlers when trying to contain Pooran’s aggressive batting style and admitted that the Indian team needs to find ways to address such threats in the future.
“The way he has been batting, becomes very difficult to rotate spinners. 2/2 and the way he batted, took the game quite into their hands,” he said. “We have to find ways to make sure we have the right balance but at the same time batters need to take more responsibility,” the Indian captain further added.
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Hardik Pandya was a valuable asset for the Indian team, contributing with both bat and ball. He scored 24 runs off 18 balls, providing some crucial runs towards the end of India’s innings. Additionally, Pandya shone with the ball, picking up three wickets while bowling his medium-pace deliveries. His all-round performance showcased his versatility and determination to impact the game.
With the series now 2-0 in favour of West Indies, India finds itself on the cusp of a series defeat. The third T20I, scheduled for Tuesday at the same venue, becomes a must-win match for India to keep their hopes of a series victory alive. A loss in this encounter would mark the first time India has suffered a series defeat in 12 bilateral series, adding more significance to the contest.
