Tilak Varma was left stranded at 49 off 37 balls when Hardik Pandya decided to hit a six to Powell to take India over the line.
Table of Contents
Tactical Brilliance: Shaping the Victory
West Indies captain Rovman Powell decided to bat first by winning the toss and thought that the pitch would slow down as the match progressed. Windies openers Brandon King and Kyle Meyers added 55 runs in just 7.3 overs, giving the team a good start. Akshar Patel ( 4-0-24-1 ), who did not throw a single ball in the second T20I, He threw all four overs inside the drinks break and also made his first breakthrough for India by scoring 25 runs ( off Meyers ) 20 balls in the 8th over. The guest team descended with the spinners from the second over and kept the scoring rate under control after the powerplay.
Johnson Charles (12 off 14) was battling and playing while at the crease ) 12 runs in the ball and was unable to sweep many slogs. Nicholas Pooran came in his usual No. 4 spot and looked dangerous once again, making a great start to his innings. But returning Kuldeep Yadav overturned the dice of the match by taking wickets of 20 runs ( in the 15th over Nicky P )12 ball and 42 runs in the King (42 ball and Finally ended the day with a figure of 4-0-28-3. Captain Powell batted brilliantly and took the responsibility of ending the innings and played a great innings of 40* runs from just 19 balls, This led the West Indies to score the highest first innings ever in the series. Local player Shimron Hetmye ( nine runs in eight balls ) then failed and was taken over by Mukesh Kumar who threw his first over in the 18th over.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Heroic Performance
Chasing a target of 160 runs for the win, the Indian team did not get off to a good start and lost both their openers in the fifth over itself. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made a brilliant start to his international career, got out early. Shubman Gill once again looked out of touch in the series and was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph. Before getting out, Gill looked past a lively Suryakumar Yadav for a while, and the latter continued his form. Sky and Tilak Verma added 87 runs for the third wicket to snatch the match from the hosts. Surya hit 10 fours and 4 sixes in his innings of 83 off 44 balls and performed brilliantly in the series. He carved out every stroke and was a thorn in the West Indies’ side. Tilak was dismissed for 49 off 37 balls when Pandya (20 off 15 balls) decided to go the aerial route, beating Powell and the West Indies. The duo added an unbeaten 43 for the fourth wicket and ended the West Indies leg with a seven-wicket victory inside the 18th over.
Dominant Bowling Display and Turning Points
Post-match comments: Hardik Pandya said:
Winning is very important. We talked as a group that these three matches would be exciting. Two losses or two wins doesn’t change long term plans. We have to show that we are ready when it comes to such (do or die) matches. Nicky (Pooran) didn’t come out to bat and that gave us a chance to hold back our fast bowlers, Akshar also got a chance to bowl his four overs. If Nikki wants to hit, let her hit me and that was the plan, I enjoy this kind of competition. I know he is going to listen to this and give me a tough fight in the 4th T20. As a team, we have decided to bat with seven batsmen and we have to take responsibility, as happened today, if the batsmen score runs, you don’t need anyone at number eight. As Surya mentioned, they (Sky and Tilak) play together and spend time together, it is good to have someone like Sky in the team and when he takes responsibility it sends a message to others.
Also Read : A Historic Win: India’s Road to Glory in the SAFF Championship 2023
Rovman Powell :
We were 10-15 runs short. But credit goes to the batting unit, especially the opening partnership, this is the kind of start we would have expected. In the end you can say that (sending Pooran at number three) but we wanted to give Charles a chance, we know what Pooran can do and the kind of form he is in. We bowled a lot of pace at the ball and that made things easy for the Indian batsmen. We have a gap of few days and we have to come up with better plans.
Suryakumar Yadav Player of the Match :
It was really important to be myself when I went out to bat in the Powerplay, that’s what the team management wanted. I have practiced these (ramp and scoops) strokes a lot and I love doing them. We (myself and Tilak) have batted together for a long time, we both understand each other’s batting and the way he batted, it gave me a lot of confidence. He (Tilak) had a brilliant innings at the other end. It was running in my mind (that India has never lost three T20 Internationals in a row) but at the same time we talked in team meeting, our captain said that someone needs to raise his hand and win the match, glad that I was able to do.
