IND vs WI | 1st T20I Evaluation Chart - “Chasemaster” Kohli papers over Indian cracks to down Windies
While the West Indies still hold the ‘World Champions’ tag, India’s dominance over the visitors has been established in the recent past. Taking charge, Virat Kohli produced one of his best T20I knocks and steered the hosts to a seventh consecutive victory over the Windies in this format.
Match Review
After winning the toss, captain Kohli quite confidently opted to bowl and only showcased the confidence that India have in their art of chasing. However, the Indian bowlers got off to a horror start as after Lendl Simmons was sent off early, Ewin Lewis (40 off 17) took charge and put the visitors in a commanding position. Going forward, Shimron Hetmyer (56 off 41) and captain Kieron Pollard (37 off 19) kept the momentum alive. They punished the Indian pacers and spinners alike right through the death overs, as Jason Holder (24 off 9) added the finishing touch taking the Windies to a total of 207/5.
India started off well in the chase, despite Rohit Sharma’s early departure, and scored 62/1 by the end of the Powerplay. KL Rahul, who scored a mighty 40-ball 62 had no intention of shying away from the display of how good a T20I batsman he is. His partnership with Kohli yielded 100 runs off 61 deliveries and that defined India’s innings and, eventually, the game. The Indian skipper, who was on 41 off 32 at that point, then accelerated his innings to get the job done. His heated encounters with pacer Kesrick Williams reignited some flames from the past and Kohli was further fired up in the chase. As India reached the target with 8 balls to spare, King Kohli remained unbeaten at 94 off 50.
Turning Point
Even though Kohli missed out on scoring his maiden hundred in T20 Internationals, he did produce his highest score in the format and also his best performance. A master of chases in ODIs, Kohli does not shy away in T20Is as well. At one point, though, the Indian captain was batting on 20 off 20 which reminded us of Yuvraj Singh’s innings from the 2014 WT20 final against Sri Lanka. But how Kohli’s innings took a gigantic match-winning turn was the climax of the game. Facing Holder in the 15th over, Kohli extracted fourteen runs off just three deliveries. From thereon, there was no stopping for the Indian captain. He added 37 runs off the last 12 deliveries that he faced, roared across the field and also took his long due revenge from Williams. Just Kohli things!
Highs and Lows
The high point of this game was a rather underrated one. Amidst Kohli’s fire, it was the third umpire calling no-balls, which was, of course, talked about ahead of the game but the implementation was all the more exciting. Although this rule was implemented three years ago, it was finally decided by the ICC to use it extensively in this series. The TV umpire caught two overstepped deliveries during the second innings and it’s likely the start of something significant.
The look on Washington Sundar’s face was that of a student who always gets an A in Math but this time ended up failing his favourite subject. Sitting on the first bench didn’t help him much as he was smashed left and right as he started India’s bowling. He conceded 34 runs in his three overs and got rather lucky with Lewis’ wicket. And he was all over the place when it came to fielding as well. All aspects of Sundar’s performance in this game was the lowest for India.
Rating Charts
Powerplay exploitation: - West Indies (8/10), India (8/10)
After Lendl Simmons’ early exit, leaving the visitors at 13/1, Evin Lewis lived up to his reputation of being exceptional against India. He fired up the stage in the first six overs with his powerful striking and enjoyable swivels. It’s a shame that he was dismissed in the final over of the Powerplay, following which only two runs were added on a final couple of deliveries. However, Lewis had already put West Indies on top with 66/2 at the end of six overs.
With a target of 208 to chase in 20 overs, pressure could have taken to India but the dominance that India has shown of late has not been achieved for nothing. Answering equally to the Windies roar, India hammered 62 runs in the Powerplay while losing only one wicket. Losing Rohit early did not sway India’s batting as KL Rahul, at 31* off just 18, carried on hammering the bowlers with Kohli acting as his subsidiary.
Death Bowling: - India (3/10), West Indies (2/10)
The first 15 overs had set the stage for the death overs that West Indies batsmen were going to face. 144/3 was the score then and following that 63 runs were added for the loss of two wickets in the final five overs. This just showcases how badly India performed in the final overs of West Indies’ innings with both Chahal and Chahar majorly punished and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had bowled decently, bearing the brunt by leaking 17 runs in the last over.
The Windies bowlers followed in the footsteps of their Indian counterparts in the death bowling department, conceding 55 runs in the final 22 deliveries. They faced the wrath of Virat Kohli, giving away 15 and 23 runs in the 15th and 16th overs. They did get Pant and Iyer out but India won the game with 1.2 overs to spare anyway.
Ground Fielding and Catching: - India (4/10), West Indies (5/10)
There were not enough chances for the Indian fielders to showcase something exceptional in the first half, but there were glimpses of some bad throws which did not really cost them. But then came a rare sight of Kohli misfielding in the thirteenth over. Following that, there were a couple of ‘wow’ moments from Rohit Sharma when he saved two boundaries in a span of three deliveries in the 17th over but failed to retain a catch. He even misjudged a shot from Pollard and let the ball go right through his hands in the same over. In the following over, Deepak Chahar, near the ropes, tried to stop the ball by bending down but failed as the ball went for four runs. I’ve accordingly rated the host’s athleticism on the field.
West Indies didn’t have many ‘wow’ moments on the field, as was the cases with mess-ups. There were a few glimpses of misfielding but they did not drop any major catches as such. In fact, Rohit Sharma’s catch by Hetmyer, who went all in for the important wicket, showcased that the visitors were focusing well on the field. Early in the game, Sheldon Cotrell was actively guarding the circle and he saved a few runs there. However, the second half of the game saw West Indies lose that initial grasp over the field despite Pollard taking a blinder in the fag end of the game.
Spectator Rating Meter - Great!
When it’s India and West Indies, two teams with amazing hitters, any T20 game is bound to be full of sparks and the audience got to witness a cracker of a show which was also close contest.
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