West Indies Beat India in the First T20I
The first T20 international between West Indies and India has brought disappointment for Indian fans as the hosts have defeated Hardik Pandya and co. by just a short margin. Rovman Powell-led West Indies recorded a mediocre start as they batted first. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav tormented their top order as the top three batsmen were dismissed in a span of 20 runs. However, Nicholas Pooran and skipper Powell played resilient knocks by hitting 41 and 48 runs comparatively. Their efforts helped West Indies push their scoreboard to a fightable 149 runs.
The Indian batsmen showed an underconfident response as Ishan Kishan, Shubhman Gill, and Suryakumar Yadav all failed to make a mark. Except for Tilak Verma, who scored a rapid 39 runs off 22 balls, no other middle-order batsman could really make a big score either as team India struggled to cross 140. Their internal confusion was visible as Chahal was called back into the pavilion after he walked out to bat. In the end, team India fell short and finished at 145 at the end of their 20 overs.
However, India has a chance to redeem itself in the remaining two T20s in the series.
Image source: AP