India Start T20I Series With Win as Ravi Bishnoi Shines
India started the T20I series against West Indies with a close win in the first T20I. After batting first, India managed to post 158 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. Ravi Bishnoi helped the team to defend the target, as he took 3 wickets in the chase.
Pitch and Weather
The match will be played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, which is expected to provide a slower T20 surface where the ball grips. The new ball will be able to provide some movement to the pace bowlers, but it will be challenging to find strokes when the shine disappears. Spinners and cutters will turn out to be effective in the middle overs. Temperatures should remain around 23–27°C, with moderate humidity, light winds and mostly clear conditions. A first innings score in the range of 155 to 165 will be considered as competitive at this venue.
Toss
West Indies wins the toss and decides to field first. The team aims to put the new ball pressure on the Indian batsmen and restrict them from scoring well in this game.
Lineups
India: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav
West Indies: Shai Hope (C), Kamil Pooran, Amir Jangoo, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Akeal Hosein, Matthew Forde, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie
Match Report
India managed to post down a total of 158 for 8 after being sent to bat first at Ekana. Abhishek Sharma started off by attacking the seamers, but the slow surface made it difficult to time well. Still, India went on to score 43/2 in the powerplay itself, as Matthew Forde removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Gudakesh Motie had Ishan Kishan caught at covers.
Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma went on to rebuild the innings, as they targeted the shorter leg side boundary. The duo had a 54-run stand which came to an end when Akeal Hosein bowled Iyer for 38. Tilak also followed by losing his wicket at 31, as he attempted to clear extra cover against Keemo Paul.
Shivam Dube gave an unexpected boost, as he went on to score 27 runs off 16 balls. Being promoted over Axar Patel helped him a lot, before Shamar Joseph went on to remove him in the 19th over. West Indies also used wide yorkers to restrict India's scoring in the death overs.
West Indies had a strong start in the chase, as the team managed to score 48/1 in the first six overs. Shai Hope faced a challenge against Axar Patel, while Sherfane Rutherford went on to smash boundaries. Kuldeep Yadav took the wicket of Hope at 29, but Rutherford and Shimron Hetmyer went on to score 61 runs off 43 balls.
India changed the game by bringing down Ravi Bishnoi along with Kuldeep, as the West Indies were forced against the turn. Bishnoi removed both set batters in quick succession, leaving West Indies at the score of 132/5. Arshdeep conceded just six runs in the 19th over as he used slower yorkers. West Indies required 21 runs from the last over and managed to get just 13, giving India a win by eight runs.
Player of the Match
Ravi Bishnoi wins the Player of the Match award for his brilliant 3/28 spell. West Indies looked strong in the chase but his introduction and the key wickets changed the game decisively.