2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 2nd T20I vs West Indies
Team India suffered their second successive defeat in the five-match series against West Indies as the hosts clinched the second T20I in Guyana by two wickets on Sunday.
Tilak Varma's half-century, along with small contributions from Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, took the Men in Blue to 152/7 in their 20 overs. Although India managed to prise out two wickets in the very first over, Nicholas Pooran's blitz restored the Windies' control over the contest.
There was another twist in the tale, though, with West Indies losing their way after requiring just 27 runs from 37 balls with six wickets in hand. They needed their ninth-wicket pair of Alzarri Joseph and Akeal Hosein to take them over the line, keeping the visitors winless in the series so far.
Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by Team India in the second T20I against West Indies.
#3 Mistake - Yuzvendra Chahal's last over was inexplicably delayed
Yuzvendra Chahal's third over, the 16th of the West Indian innings, brought India right back into the contest.
Romario Shepherd was run out on the very first ball following a mix-up with Shimron Hetmyer, who joined his Guyanese teammate in the pavilion off the last ball of the over. In between those two dismissals, Jason Holder came and went.
After Chahal's three-wicket over, Mukesh Kumar kept things tight and conceded just three. However, with Joseph and Hosein at the crease, Hardik Pandya went back to Arshdeep Singh instead of bowling out his star leg-spinner's quota.
Arshdeep went for nine runs in the over, with Mukesh leaking a six and a four in the 19th to signal the end of the contest. Chahal was left not only having bowled just three overs but also having been taken out of the attack immediately after his potentially match-defining over.
#2 Masterstroke - Tilak Varma was a cut above the rest for the Men in Blue
Is Tilak Varma only two international games old? The 20-year-old batted like a grizzled veteran in Guyana, keeping the Indian innings afloat even as wickets fell at the other end.
Tilak showcased his range all around the ground, having already made a few shots of his signature strokes. He rode his luck at times but learned from his mistake in the opening T20I and carried on after a bright start to notch up his maiden international fifty.
As the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Shubman Gill threw their wickets away, Tilak got stuck in and took India to a respectable total. He's here to stay!
#1 Mistake - Hardik Pandya didn't use a single over of Axar Patel
![Hardik Pandya [right] hasn't been at his tactical best in this series so far](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/1bb3e-16910870271306-1920.jpg)
Another inexplicable decision made by Hardik Pandya was his reluctance to bowl Axar Patel.
Axar, who bowled two overs in the opening T20I, didn't roll his arm over at all in Guyana. The left-arm spinner could've had a major say on proceedings, with his opposition number Hosein scalping two important wickets for the Men in Maroon.
Nicholas Pooran's presence at the crease was probably the main reason behind Hardik choosing to keep Axar out of the attack, but he could've at least utilized the spinner after the explosive Windies southpaw was dismissed in the 14th over.
India have only two all-rounders in their playing XI, and two games into the series, Axar hasn't been properly used in either department.