INDIAN TOUR TO THE WEST INDIES, 2022
Live score updates
West Indians 122-8 (20 Ovs)
Keemo Paul 19 (22)
India 190-6
Arshdeep Singh 4-0-24-2
Rohit Sharma registers his first half-century in 24 T20 tournaments in 2022 © AFP
Hello and welcome to the Live Blog for the opening match of the five-match T20I series between West Indies and India at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. Click Refresh for the latest updates.
A comprehensive victory
Not much of a fight from lower-order West Indies as they finish on 122/8 as India record a 68-run win to start the series. R Ashwin (2-22), Ravi Bishnoi (2-26) and Arshdeep Singh (2-24) are the leading wicket-takers for India as Rohit Sharma (64) and Dinesh Karthik (41*) put up the magnificent total. The action shifts to Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts where the second and third T20Is will be played on August 1 and 2.
The war continues
After Hardik squeezes a bowl, Bishnoi continues his good spell. Some strange complaints were referred to above, but Paul survives Bishnoi. Arshdeep is back and he takes the yorker spot to get Hosein to leave WI at 101/8 in the 17th over.
Fast gates
As soon as Bishnoi is introduced, Powell should have been ready for a googly. But he didn’t pick it and the first ball of the wrist spinner is taken off. Hetmyer tries to go over extra cover from Ashwin but a mistimed shot results in a catch to Suryakumar. Bishnoi gets his second as Odean Smith is stumped for a duck in the 14th over.
Ashwin dismisses Pooran
A promising partnership between Pooran and Rovman Powell ends in the ninth over. It is his fight against offspin that has won Pooran again as he tries to play a late shot but ends up giving the ball to Pant behind the stumps. WI are 67/4.
Brooks falls, WI down three
A 15-run stand ends in the sixth over as Brooks departs for 20 for 15. He was at the start of a stroke and lost the ball to Bhuvneshwar to be bowled. West Indies end the power at 42/3.
Quick wickets after a positive start
Mayers and Brooks score a boundary off Bhuneshwar in the first over. Mayers also takes the attack on Arshdeep, hitting a six and a four. However, he falls to the same overhead by placing a slow, short ball into mid-wicket. Holder is promoted to No. 3 but the move doesn’t work as he is hit by Jadeja for a four-ball duck. West Indies are 27/2 after three overs.
Karthik, Ashwin power India to 190
Some quiet overs were made in an expensive 19th over, with Karthik and Jadeja hitting two sixes and a four between them to take 21 off the Keeper. McCoy ends up giving away 15 in the last over with Karthik (41* off 19) hitting two fours and a six and putting on an unbroken 25-ball 52-run stand with Ashwin (13* off 10).
Rohit, Jadeja fall fast
End of good knock from Rohit, who finishes with seven fours and two sixes in his 44-ball stand. Looking to flatten a slower ball over cover, Rohit finds Hetmyer diving in the deep. Jadeja ends the over with a boundary but he falls in the next over, finding the fielder at short third to give Joseph his second wicket. India are 138/6 after 16 overs.
Fifty for Rohit but Hardik departs
Despite the wickets, Rohit has remained positive, in line with India’s new approach in T20Is. He reaches a fifty off 35 with two consecutive fours off Joseph. But Hardik falls in the same way, pushing a short delivery to third man, where McCoy takes a good catch. India are 104/4 after 12 overs.
Rohit powers India’s breakthrough but Pant falls
The India captain has been hitting regular boundaries, including a haul for a six from Joseph, as he helps India make good progress despite some quick knocks. Pant also gets in on the action with a couple of boundaries off Keemo Paul but ends up going the last ball of the 10th over to short third man to depart for 14 for 12. India are 88/3.
Hosein strikes to end the positive stand
Surya cuts across and whips Joseph’s second delivery over the fine-leg fence and uppercuts over the ‘keeper’s head for four in the same over. But Akeal finally gets his reward as Surya, looking to whip midwicket, takes the edge of Holder at short third man to depart for 24 off 16. Shreyas Iyer departs for a duck in the innings next, trying to swing a McCoy delivery but going away it slips where Hosein takes a brilliant diving catch. India end power at 45/2.
Surya survives
Two lucky breaks for Suryakumar off the first two balls bowled by Akeal Hosein. The first was a great cover effort where Kyle Mayers puts in a difficult chance. The next ball, an errant sweep, lands between the bowler and the converging fielder midway through the match. Rohit executes the paddle sweep for a four off the last ball. India are 25/0 after 3 overs.
starting
Rohit is off the mark with an opening single bowled by McCoy as Suryakumamr pulls a low full shot in the same to get his first runs through a boundary. Rohit then comes down the track to send Holder’s first delivery sailing over cover for the first six overs. In the same over, Suryakumar hits a bouncer for a four as 15 runs off the over.
We have a surprise at the top of the order. Suryakumar Yadav will open along with Rohit Sharma.
Throw and teams:
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran has won the toss and the hosts will bat first. Alzarri Joseph makes his T20I debut for West Indies. Ravindra Jadeja returns to India’s eleven after missing the ODI series due to injury.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Rishabh Pant (vk), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Arshdeep Singh
West Indians (Playing XI): Shamarh Brooks, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Odean Smith, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy, Keemo Paul
Build
This series against West Indies, then the Asia Cup, followed by T20Is against Australia and South Africa will give India plenty of preparation time for the T20 World Cup to be played in Australia later this year. Several front-line players were rested for the ODI leg of the Caribbean tour and most of them are available for the T20Is. Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will also be missing from the T20 matches, but the arrival of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has given the Indian team an extra boost. Shimron Hetmyer returns to the West Indies set-up, while all-rounder Odean Smith and paceman Obed McCoy add more variety to the squad. Having gone down 0-3 in the ODIs, West Indies will be hoping to bounce back strongly in the T20 matches.
Read the full review here
Related news
Sanju Samson replaces KL Rahul for West Indies T20Is: A release from the BCCI stated that Rahul, who recently contracted Covid-19, has been advised for rest by the medical team. Rahul was initially named in the squad for the five-match series, subject to him reaching match fitness.
Rohit Sharma dismisses claims of ‘conservative cricket’ in T20 World Cups: Since winning the inaugural edition under MS Dhoni in 2007, India have struggled, their next best effort coming in 2014 where they finished runners-up to Sri Lanka. They made the semi-finals in 2016, but in last year’s tournament, two ordinary batting performances – against Pakistan and New Zealand – sealed their fate. “We haven’t got the results in the World Cups, but that doesn’t mean we have played bad cricket for so many years, I don’t agree that we have played conservative cricket,” Rohit said.
‘Too many India games in Trinidad’ – Andy Roberts criticizes CWI: Four of the eight games in the current series are in Trinidad and Tobago, a two-island southern Caribbean nation known for its large Indian diaspora presence. “We are looking at the Indian population in both Trinidad and Guyana. What other reason do we have to play every tour that India does in Trinidad or Guyana? Every time India comes, they play in Trinidad or Guyana, invariably,” Roberts said .
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