West Indies vs India Archives

West Indies end six-year drought with T20I series victory over India

Brandon King’s superb unbeaten 85 led West Indies to an eight-wicket win over India on Sunday to secure a 3-2 victory in their T20I series.

This was West Indies’ first T20I series win over India since 2017, which also broke India’s 12-series unbeaten streak in the shortest format.

Set a target of 166 to win the fifth and deciding contest, in Lauderhill, Florida, West Indies reached their target with two overs to spare with Nicholas Pooran scoring 47 in a partnership of 107 with King.

The win was a morale-booster for West Indies cricket after the one-day team failed, last month, to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in their history.

“Adjectives are inadequate for our feelings. It’s a big series. It’s a very big series for us to beat India at home with everything going on,” said West Indies captain Rovman Powell.

“After we got defeated badly (on Saturday) we sat down and talked. We are not just playing to put smiles on our faces but for the people,” he added.

King’s highest T20 international score came from 55 balls with six sixes and five fours and he kept his focus despite a delay to the game following a lightning warning.

Shai Hope, who steadied the ship after Pooran was removed by Tilak Varma, with the spinner’s second-ever ball in international cricket, clinched the victory with a straight six off Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Suryakumar Yadav struck 61 as India made 165 for nine while Romario Shepherd took 4-31 in his four overs as West Indies’ bowling attack delivered a much better performance than in their emphatic defeat on Saturday which left the five-match series at 2-2.

West Indies made two changes with off-spinner Roston Chase and pace bowler Alzarri Joseph coming in for Odean Smith and Obed McCoy and there was a better balance and performance from that line-up.

Opening pair Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, who put on a match-winning 165 runs partnership on Saturday, were both dismissed cheaply by left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein.

Tilak Varma looked dangerous before he went for 27 off 18, caught and bowled by Chase but Yadav’s innings kept India’s hopes alive.

Medium pacer Shepherd took care of the lower middle order as West Indies were set a target of 166 to win the series.

West Indies had led the series 2-0 before India fought back to set up Sunday’s clincher and captain Hardik Pandya said they had time to get things right before the T20 World Cup next June in the Caribbean and the United States.

“It’s a long way. We have the ODI WC coming up and sometimes losing is good. You get to learn a lot,” Pandya said. “And special mention for all the boys. They showed great character. Winning and losing is a part of the process and we are going to make sure we learn from that,” he said.

READ: Barcelona start La Liga title defence with ill-tempered Getafe stalemate

Pooran outshines Varma as West Indies edge 2nd T20I against India

A brilliant 67 from Nicholas Pooran eclipsed a maiden international half-century from Tilak Varma as West Indies edged their way to a dramatic two-wicket win over India in the second T20I in Guyana on Sunday.

India struggled to 152-7 after winning the toss and batting first and, in spite of Pooran, appeared to be heading for victory when West Indies lost four wickets for three runs to slip to 129-8.

However, tailenders Alzarri Joseph and Akeal Hosein kept their cool and slogged the winning runs to see the West Indies home with seven balls to spare.

“We always knew it was going to come down to how we batted against spin,” said West Indies captain Rovman Powell.

“It shows cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties.”

After winning Thursday’s opener in Tarouba by four runs, West Indies take a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.

The 20-year-old Varma, who helped light up the IPL with 343 runs for the Mumbai Indians this season, made 51 from 41 balls before clipping left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein to fine leg where Obed McCoy pouched the catch.

Varma came to the crease in the fourth over after Shubman Gill was caught at third man off Joseph and Suryakumar Yadav, playing his 50th T20I, was run out by a direct hit from Kyle Mayers to leave India on 18 for two.

Varma added 42 for the third wicket with Ishan Kishan before the opener was bowled by Romario Shepherd for 27.

After the dismissal of Varma, who hit five fours and one six in his 51, it was left to skipper Hardik Pandya with 24 from 18 balls to drag the Indians towards a half-decent target.

“That was not a pleasing batting performance by us,” said Pandya. “The wickets were falling and the track was on the slower side. We were not good enough to get to 160 plus.”

West Indies made the worst possible start as Pandya removed Brandon King and Johnson Charles in the first four balls of their reply.

Pooran, however, quickly found his range clubbing six fours and four sixes in his 40-ball 67.

“The way he batted from two for two, it was incredible,” admitted Pandya.

Mayers (15) and Powell (21) offered some support and West Indies appeared to be in control until Nicholas Pooran hammered Mukesh Kumar to Samson in the covers.

From 126-4, West Indies lost four wickets for just three runs, three of them in the 16th over delivered by Yuzvendra Chahal.

The third of those saw Shimron Hetmyer eighth man out, leg before on review for 22.

At 129-8, they still needed 24 from the last four overs with just two wickets remaining. Joseph and Hosein, however, edged them to victory.

The tourists won the preceding two-Test series 1-0 before beating the West Indies 2-1 in the ODIs.

READ: Montreal Tigers stun Surrey Jaguars to win maiden GT20 title

West Indies stun India by four runs in first T20I

West Indies stunned India by four runs to capture the opening Twenty20 International on Thursday as the tourists flopped in pursuit of a modest 150-run target.

Well-placed at 77-3 in the 11th over thanks to debutant Tilak Varma’s top score of 39 and 21 from Suryakumar Yadav, India then lost six wickets for just 68 runs.

Shimron Hetmyer, playing international cricket for the first time in 12 months, starred in the field for the West Indies taking three catches and effecting the run-out of Arshdeep Singh in the final over to bring the low-scoring clash to a conclusion.

The 20-year-old Varma, who helped light up the IPL with 343 runs for the Mumbai Indians this season, hit three sixes in his 22-ball innings.

Two of his sixes came in the first three balls he faced from Alzarri Joseph.

His innings ended on the last ball of the 11th over when he was caught at fine leg by Hetmyer off pace bowler Romario Shepherd with the total at 77.

Ten runs earlier, Suryakumar had been the third wicket to fall, brilliantly caught by Hetmyer who dived to his left at short extra cover off the bowling of Jason Holder.

Skipper Hardik Pandya (19), Axar Patel (13) and Singh (12) all made useful contributions but struggled to force the pace on a slow pitch at the Brian Lara Stadium.

Holder was particularly impressive for the West Indies with figures of 2-19 from his four overs and was named man of the match.

“We were right in the chase but we made some errors which cost us,” said Pandya. “A young team will make mistakes.”

Earlier captain Rovman Powell top-scored with 48 as the West Indies made 149-6 after winning the toss and opting to bat.

Powell hit three fours and three sixes in his 32-ball knock after Nicholas Pooran fell for 41, but the West Indies were restricted to only 21 off the final three overs.

Pooran was coming off a match-winning 137 not out in last week’s Major League Cricket final in the US for Mumbai Indians-backed MI New York.

Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal trapped Kyle Mayers leg-before for one and removed fellow opener Brandon King (28) the same way two balls later.

Johnson Charles added just three before slicing a catch to Varma in the deep off left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Pooran and Powell gave the innings some momentum before both holed out either side of Hetmyer’s dismissal for 10.

“It’s a very good feeling. We talked about starting the series on a positive note, and we did that today,” said Powell.

The next two games will be played in Bridgetown on Sunday and Tuesday before the series concludes at Lauderhill in Florida on August 12 and 13.

India won the two-Test series 1-0 before beating the West Indies 2-1 in the ODIs.

READ: Lamichhane guides leaders Jaguars to thumping win over Tigers in GT20

India blow away West Indies in decider to seal ODI series

India swiftly erased the memory of a poor second match to annihilate the West Indies by 200 runs in the decisive third and final one-day international at the Brian Lara Stadium on Tuesday.

Even with senior players in captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still rested the tourists’ batting finally came good collectively to post a formidable 351-5 batting first.

Their seamers then demolished the home side’s top order and a ninth-wicket partnership of 55 merely delayed the inevitable with the West Indies bundled out for 151 off 35.3 overs.

India’s margin of victory was their second largest in ODIs against the West Indies and also extended their run of bilateral series wins against the Caribbean team in the format to 13.

Openers Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan set the tone for the India innings after they were put in with man-of-the-series Kishan benefiting from an early dropped chance to belt 77 off 64 balls – his third consecutive half-century – in an opening stand of 143, a new record for the wicket for India in ODIs in the West Indies.

Gill was more circumspect in getting to a top score of 85 off 92 balls before falling to Gudakesh Motie, the left-arm spinner being the most economical for the home side in conceding just 38 runs from his 10 overs.

“This was definitely special to finally get a fifty on this tour,” said Gill after receiving the man-of-the-match award. “It’s all about playing according to the conditions and assessing the situation as quickly as possible.”

Sanju Samson also wasted no time in taking advantage of another rare ODI opportunity to smash 51 off 41 with four sixes.

However his impressive mid-innings assault was surpassed by Hardik Pandya, the stand-in captain hoisting five sixes and four fours in an unbeaten 70 off just 52 deliveries.

“I look forward to these sorts of games where there is something on the line,” said Pandya. “We knew there was something at stake and the way the boys were up for it, came out and performed but also enjoyed it was really satisfying.”

In this first-ever men’s ODI to be played at the venue, the West Indies were never in the hunt after Mukesh Kumar’s opening burst removed openers Brandon King and Kyle Mayers before adding the important wicket of captain Shai Hope.

“I keep stressing on our attitude because I don’t think we are consistent enough,” Hope lamented. “Some days we compete with the best in the world, other days we get steamrolled. We have to work on this.”

Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat, playing his first ODI in 10 years, then joined the rout to have the home side in ruins at 50 for six.

Kuldeep Yadav’s wrist-spin claimed two more wickets and although Motie (39 not out) and Alzarri Joseph provided a measure of entertainment for the home fans, it was left to Thakur to claim the final two wickets to finish with the best figures of 4-37 and end the series as the leading wicket-taker with eight.

Both squads now prepare for the final leg of the tour, a five-match T20 international series, with the first fixture on Thursday also at the Brian Lara Stadium.

READ: Babar Azam rises in ICC Test Batting Ranking

Virat Kohli scores first away Test century since 2018

PORT OF SPAIN: Star batter Virat Kohli broke the shackles as he brought up his much-awaited away century in Tests on the second day of the ongoing second Test against West Indies.

Virat Kohli made his 500th international match memorable as he ended his away Test century drought with a sensible knock on a challenging surface against West Indies.

The right-handed batter resumed India’s first innings at 288/4 and was just 13 away from a much-awaited ton.

Kohli continued to bat with utmost caution and soon achieved the landmark when he drove one off Shanon Gabriel in the 91st over of India’s first innings.

When this story was filed, Virat Kohli was unbeaten on 112 off 191 deliveries with the help of 11 boundaries.

Notably, Virat Kohli’s last away Test century came against Australia in Perth when he scored a magnificent 123.

He then scored two more in the next year – 254* against South Africa and 136 against Bangladesh – before enduring a nerve-testing all-format century drought.

Virat Kohli had to wait for about three years for his 71st century which finally came against Afghanistan in the dead rubber fixture of the Asia Cup 2022.

His overnight partner Ravindra Jadeja, on the other hand, also stood his ground firm and notched up a brilliant half-century and is currently unbeaten on 51.

On the opening day of the second Test, the visitors, after being put into bat first, had a solid start to their innings.

Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Rohit Sharma raised 139 for the first wicket before Jason Holder got the breakthrough for the West Indies by dismissing the former on 57.

Jaiswal’s departure sparked a collapse in India’s top order and the visitors, as a result, slipped to 182/4 with captain Sharma (80) also making his way back to the dugout.

The pair of Virat Kohli and Jadeja then recovered India from a top-order collapse and took them to 288/4 at the stumps.

READ: Virat Kohli on brink of 76th ton as India on top in second West Indies Test

Virat Kohli on brink of 76th ton as India on top in second West Indies Test

Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja combined in an unbroken century partnership for India to regain the ascendancy over West Indies at 288 for four at stumps on Thursday, the opening day of the second and final Test.

After being put in to bat at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, India started strongly before faltering in the afternoon session.

After tea, Kohli played with the exaggerated caution of a man keen to leave a significant mark on the 500th international match. His unbeaten 87 (161 balls, eight fours) with the support of Jadeja (36 not out) put India back in command.

Their stand of 106 frustrated the Caribbean team in a long final session with captain Kraigg Brathwaite resorting to his own loopy off-breaks in search of a breakthrough.

It was a different tempo at the start, with skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal picking up where they left off in the first Test.

At Windsor Park Stadium a week earlier, they put on 229 for the first wicket to lay the platform for a crushing victory by an innings and 141 runs in three days.

This time they blazed 121 by lunch and added another 18 in the afternoon before Jason Holder finally brought much-needed discipline to the West Indies bowling.

He was rewarded with the wicket of Jaiswal for 57 via a low catch at deep gully by debutant batsman Kirk McKenzie.

That was the trigger for a mini-slide as Shubman Gill went caught behind to Kemar Roach for 10, his second consecutive failure at number three. Sharma followed, bowled for 80 by a perfectly pitched delivery from left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican.

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane seemed to have weathered the mid-afternoon storm only for Shannon Gabriel, the second change to the West Indies from the first Test, to uproot Rahane’s off-stump on the stroke of tea.

“It felt like the heavens came down because not much was happening out there,” said an exhausted Gabriel, reflecting on his lone wicket of the day.

“We were all over the shop in the first session and worked out our plans a lot better at lunch and got the reward. On a pitch like this, with hardly anything in it for the bowlers, we’re happy to have taken four wickets.”

India are giving a debut to right-arm fast-medium bowler Mukesh Kumar in place of seam bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

This is the 100th Test match between the West Indies and India since the first was played in Delhi in November, 1948 at the start of the Caribbean side’s historic inaugural tour to the sub-continent.

Despite being winless against their opponents for more than 21 years, the West Indies still lead India 30-23 in Test victories across the 99 matches.

READ: Russell’s 70 in vain as Washington Freedom sink LA Knight Riders in MLC

Ashwin dismantles West Indies as India secure innings win

Ravichandran Ashwin’s seven-wicket second innings demolition job underlined his utter dominance of an inept West Indies team who crashed to defeat by an innings and 141 runs late on the third day of the first Test against India in Dominica on Friday.

It was India’s largest margin of victory in a Test match in the West Indies and maintains an unbeaten run spanning more than 21 years against these opponents going into the second and final Test starting next Thursday in Trinidad.

After Rohit Sharma declared the tourists’ first innings closed at 421 for five, 40 minutes into the afternoon session, first day destroyers Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja wasted little time in adding to that first innings success to skittle the Caribbean team for 130 in just over 50 overs.

Ashwin fittingly ended the match by trapping last man Jomel Warrican leg-before.

His haul of 7-71 lifted his match figures to 12 -131 -– his eighth match haul of 10 wickets or more in Tests — while the support of Jadeja kept relentless pressure on a home side technically and temperamentally incapable of coping with such quality spin bowling on a helpful pitch.

Debutant Alick Athanaze was again the top scorer with 28 but his effort paled in comparison to his Indian counterpart as opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal led the way in India’s only innings with a determined, dedicated innings of 171 which spanned more than eight hours and occupied 387 deliveries.

That effort earned him the man of the match award notwithstanding the fantastic bowling figures of Ashwin.

“This experience has been a special moment,” said the 21-year-old left-hander. “I used to think about playing for my country when I was young. It is an emotional moment for me but this just the start.”

For West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, the emotions were the exact opposite on a forgettable day personally and for his team.

“I didn’t think it spun a lot early on, we just let ourselves down with the bat,” said the opener, a comment which immediately raised a few eyebrows given how the pitch behaved virtually from the first session.

“Senior guys, starting with myself, have to lead the way. We have to use the bat more instead of our pads.”

As on day one, Brathwaite and opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul had to cope with spin just minutes into the start of the second innings and although he was dropped on nought Ashwin eventually put him out of his misery.

He had missed a straightforward chance at short extra-cover in the morning offered by Virat Kohli off left-arm spinner Warrican.

Dropped at 40, Kohli went on to get 76 before falling to Rahkeem Cornwall just after lunch. The burly off-spinner was only allowed to bowl after the morning period because of time spent off the field on the first day when he was unwell.

Earlier, West Indies finally prised out Jaiswal and added the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane pre-lunch.

Jaiswal was finally undone by the extra pace and bounce extracted by fast bowler Alzarri Joseph in edging a catch to wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva after an hour’s play.

READ: Imad Wasim aids Seattle Orcas’ maiden victory in MLC

IND vs WI: Late arrival of teams’ luggage delays second T20I

Saint Kitts: The second T20I between India and West Indies to have a delayed start as the teams’ luggage arrived late from Trinidad to here, ESPN Cricinfo reported.

The second T20I, which was initially scheduled to start at 10.30am local time, has been postponed by two hours, and the new start time is 12.30pm.

According to the details, a significant delay in the crucial teams’ luggage was reported, which resulted in the delayed start of the second T20I of the five-match series.

Due to delays in team luggage arriving into St Kitts from Trinidad, today’s #WIvIND T20I will have a delayed start

The match is now scheduled to start at 12:30pm local time (10pm IST) pic.twitter.com/RRw8xvI7u0

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 1, 2022

India lead the series 1-0 following their convincing 68-run victory over the hosts in the first T20I.

READ: ‘Sarfaraz could’ve been given a chance in Sri Lanka Tests’ Afridi

Dhawan, Siraj power India to beat West Indies in a thrilling first ODI

PORT OF SPAIN: India interim captain Shikhar Dhawan led from the front with a magnificent 97 before the bowlers displayed nerves of steel to aid the touring side seal a thrilling victory over the West Indies in the first ODI.

India’s right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj held his nerves calm to defend 15 runs in the final over as he leaked 11 to hand his side a thrilling three-run victory in the first ODI of the three-match series, which went right down to the wire.

Batting first, India posted a commendable total of 308/7 in the allotted 50 overs at the back of a strong display from their top three.

India’s interim captain and left-handed opener Dhawan top-scored for the side as he scored a brilliant 97 off 99 balls, laced with 10 boundaries and three sixes. His opening partner Shubman Gill, on the other hand, scored 64 at a decent strike rate of 120 with the help of six boundaries and two sixes.

As the openers provided a solid foundation for a decent total, the stand-in vice-captain Shreyas Iyer capitalized on the situation as he too, shone with a brilliant half-century; scoring 54 off 57 balls including five boundaries and two sixes.

The rest of the Indian batters then made important contributions and bolstered the touring side to finish at 308/7 in 50 overs.

For West Indies, Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie claimed two wickets each, while Romario Shepherd and Akeal Hosein made one scalp apiece.

Set to chase 308, West Indies fell three runs short of the target as the hosts finished at 305/6 in 50 overs, despite a magnificent knock of opening batter Kyle Mayers.

The left-handed batter top-scored for the side with a valiant 75 off 68 balls, while Brandon King also starred with a valuable fifty; scoring 54 off 66.

Shamarh Brooks also chipped in for the hosts with a gritty 46 off 61 deliveries but remained a touch too slow in the proceedings.

The middle-order failure then almost wrote out the West Indies from the game but an astounding seventh-wicket partnership between Hosein and Shepher glimmered a ray of hope for the hosts.

The pair accelerated the run chase with quickfire cameos, but, in the end, remained unable to steer their side to the victory as Siraj defended 15 runs in the final over to nullify their efforts.

Hosein remained unbeaten with a run-a-ball 32, while Shepherd scored blistering 39 not-out off a mere 25 deliveries, laced with three boundaries and two sixes.

For India, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Siraj bagged two wickets each.

READ: Australian curator visits Naya Nazimabad Stadium for pitches inspection

Ravindra Jadeja to miss first two ODIs against West Indies due to injury

PORT OF SPAIN: Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the first two matches of the recently-commenced ODI series against West Indies following a gruelling knee injury.

The all-rounder sustained an injury to his right knee, which prevented him from participating in the first ODI today and is likely to miss the second also, as the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), confirmed on Friday.

“Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has sustained an injury to his right knee and has been ruled out of the first two ODIs against West Indies,” said BCCI in an official statement.

“The BCCI Medical team is monitoring his progress and a decision on his participation in the third ODI will be taken accordingly,” the cricket board added.

NEWS ALERT: Ravindra Jadeja is ruled out of the first two ODIs against West Indies due to injury. Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as stand-in vice-captain.#WIvIND

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) July 22, 2022

According to the details, Shreyas Iyer will take up the role of vice-captain in Jadeja’s absence as several regulars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah had already been rested for the series.

At the toss of the first ODI, West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran won the toss and opted to field before announcing the unavailability of their all-rounder Jason Holder as a result of his contraction to COVID-19.

READ: KPL Draft: Teams complete their squads for Kashmir Premier League 2