India leading the 5-match series 2-1
India vs West Indies 3rd T20: Suryakumar Yadav’s extraordinary 76 of 44 balls complemented by Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 33 runs led team India to a comfortable 7-wicket win in the 3rd T20 at Warner Park Stadium on Tuesday. While the skipper Rohit Sharma made an early exit, it is Yadav who took the responsibility to chase the target.
Earlier in the match, Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bowl first. West Indies opener Kyle Mayers with his strong powerplay scored 73 runs off 50 balls. Indian pacers struggled to get a wicket at first but when Hardik Pandya got the first breakthrough, the run rate slowed down. Pandya and Ashwin make the batters suffer in the ground as no one scored much other than Mayers.
After Mayers get back to the pavilion, it was time for Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer to lead the team, but both failed to make an impact in the game. Hetmyer was run out by Suryakumar Yadav. On a favoured pitch, the power-packed Indian pacers restricted West Indies by 165 runs. West Indies would have hoped that they have a defendable score on the ground, but their bowlers let the team down.
Obed McCoy, the star player of the last match, couldn’t repeat the same trick here in the match as only Akeal Hosein showed some control with the ball.
In return, Suryakumar Yadav took the responsibility to chase down the target in the first 10 overs itself as skipper Rohit Sharma retired hurt in the second over with a back spasm. Yadav’s 8 fours and 4 sixes in 44 deliveries helped the touring side restore the lead. He made his intentions clear from the first ball itself with his 360-degree stroke-play.
The 86-run partnership of Yadav and Shreyas Iyer took the team’s total beyond the 100-run mark. Iyer’s below-par strike rate didn’t affect team India as Yadav single-handedly took the match to another level. The partnership was all that mattered here for Iyer.
With a six in deep square leg against Akeal Hosein, Yadav reached his fifty in 26 balls. When Yadav fell in the 15th over, India was staying in a comfortable position to win the game with a target of 30 runs from 33 balls. After Yadav, Rishabh Pant finished off the proceedings with an unbeaten 33 runs from 26 balls. With 6 balls to spare, India strolled in with 165-3.
Hardik Pandya (1-19) and Ravichandran Ashwin (0-26) slowed down the hosts to score runs while Bhuvaneshwar Kumar got the key wickets of Kyle Mayers and Nicholas Pooran.
“When Rohit went inside it was important for someone to bat through to the 17th over but I was still able to be myself and express myself, I really loved it because I have done it in the IPL as well. I just backed myself and enjoyed it.” said Suryakumar Yadav, who got the Player of the Match award.
Rohit gave an update on his injury after the match that it was not as much serious as it first looked and he expects to be fit for the next two matches.
“It’s okay at the moment. We’ve got a few days till the next game, hopefully it should be okay.” India will hope that their captain can continue the series.
After a very comfortable victory, India now leads the series 2-1 and needs just one more win to seal the series. Now the hosts want to bounce back yet again to level the series.
Now both the teams will head to the USA for the remaining 2 T20Is. The 4th T20I will be played on Saturday, 6th August at Lauderhill, Florida.
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