Axar Patel’s All-Round Show Powers India to 18-Run Victory
India defeated West Indies by 18 runs in a thrilling match at Ranchi to take 2-0 lead in the series. Batting first, the team managed to post 169 runs on the board. Later, Axar Patel helped India to win the game by restricting West Indies to just 151.
Pitch and Weather
The match will be played at JSCA International Stadium Complex, which is expected to offer a balanced T20 surface. The new ball will be able to come nicely to the bat, but the seamers will be able to extract the early movement. Spinners will also be able to find grip in the middle overs, as the pitch slows down when the game progresses. Evening dew is expected to make it better for the chasing team. The temperatures will be moderate, as humidity is expected in the city with no chance of rain. A first innings score in the range of 165-175 will be considered as competitive.
Toss
West Indies wins the toss and decides to field first. Shai Hope backs his bowling line-up to restrict India from posting a strong total, as the dew could make it easier for them to chase.
Lineups
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Naman Dhir, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mayank Yadav
West Indies: Shai Hope (C), Kamil Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Shamar Springer, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph
Match Report
India recovered from an unstable powerplay to post 169/7 while batting first, and restricted West Indies at 151/8 to take the series lead to 2-0. Abhishek Sharma started with an early attack but he lost his wicket against Matthew Forde at 17. Sanju Samson also followed, as India was left down at the score of 39 for 2 after five overs.
Ishan Kishan went on to steady the innings with Shreyas Iyer, before Kishan lost his wicket at 31 while attempting to clear the long on. Iyer went on to score 42 runs off 24 balls which kept India in the game, but West Indies used the pace off method to control the middle overs. Tilak Varma added 22 runs before he lost his wicket against Shamar Joseph with a mistimed shot.
The turning point arrived when Romario Shepherd removed Iyer and Dube in the 17th over. But Axar Patel added 19 runs in quick succession, which took India at the score of 169.
Shai Hope and Pooran gave a strong start to the West Indies, as the team reached 44 in the powerplay itself. But the extra pace of Mayank Yadav helped to remove Pooran. Kuldeep came to remove Hope, while Axar Patel removed Hetmyer, dropping the visitors to the score of 78 for 4. Powell and Rutherford targeted the straight boundaries, but Axar broke the stand by removing Powell for 28.
West Indies required 41 runs from the last 3 overs, when Arshdeep Singh's wide yorkers and Mayank’s extra bounce prevented them from scoring. Rutherford scored the highest for the team (34), as they managed to put 151/8 in 20 overs.
Player of the Match
Axar Patel won the Player of the Match award for his crucial role in the chase. He helped to restrict the scoring rate in the middle overs and even took the much needed wickets.
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