India floored

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 8 

The Indian team’s frailties while batting first were thoroughly exposed by a disciplined West Indies, who kept the three-match T20I series alive with a comfortable eight-wicket victory in the second game here today. A below-par score of 170/7, with only 38 runs in the final five overs, was never going to be enough keeping the dew factor in mind. After senior opener Lendl Simmons (67 not out off 45 balls) along with Evin Lewis (40 off 35 balls) added 73 for the first wicket, West Indies reached the target with as many as nine balls to spare. Nicholas Pooran (38 off 18 balls), coming back after a brief ban on charges of ball tampering, hit the winning boundary.

India had another poor day in the field, barring an exceptional sidways running catch from skipper Virat Kohli. The bowlers were off target, especially spinners Ravindra Jadeja (1/22 in 2 overs) and Yuzvendra Chahal (0/36 in 3 overs).

West Indies hit a half-dozen sixes apart from 11 fours, while the hosts had five maximums, four of which were hit by all-rounder Shivam Dube. Dube justified his promotion in the batting order with a blistering half-century but it was a struggle for the other Indian batsmen.

Despite Dube’s 54 off 30 balls, which had four huge sixes apart from three fours, India didn’t get the required momentum during the death overs. — PTI