2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 3rd T20I vs West Indies
Team India refused to concede the five-match series versus West Indies as they kept themselves afloat with a seven-wicket win in the third T20I at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday, August 8.
The hosts had won the first two contests by narrow margins to pile the pressure on the Men in Blue, who relied on meaningful performances from Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Kuldeep Yadav to stay alive in the series. They got over the line with more than two overs to spare in a much-needed display.
The remaining two matches will be held in the USA over the upcoming weekend. As India get a few days off to reflect on their improvements and shortcomings, they will inevitably go back to the third T20I and analyze their performance.
Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by Team India in the third T20I against West Indies.
#3 Mistake - India's openers made the same errors again
Speaking of mistakes India made, the openers need to own up to theirs, which have put the team under immense pressure in the series so far.
The Men in Blue made a welcome switch, swapping the underperforming Ishan Kishan for debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal, but the move didn't produce any results in the third T20I. Both openers fell cheaply once again.
Jaiswal was the first to go, needlessly attempting a heave over the leg-side off his second delivery. The pitch was a tricky one to bat on, and he could've taken at least a ball or two to get his eye in and get used to the conditions.
Shubman Gill, meanwhile, added six runs to his series total, which now stands at an abysmal 16. Alzarri Joseph has had the young opener's number and converted one of his biggest strengths, the short-arm pull, into an unsuccessful release shot - something that has been a pattern of his batting in the assignment so far.
Powerplay batting has been a major issue for India in the T20I format for quite a while now. In the third T20I, though, luckily for them...
#2 Masterstroke - Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav put on another masterful partnership
The score read 6/1 when Suryakumar Yadav came to the crease. He immediately got off the blocks, whipping one over the infield for four and following it up with a trademark pick-up shot over the leg-side boundary for a maximum.
The score read 34/1 when Tilak Varma marched out to play the third T20I innings of his career. The prodigious batter crunched a glorious cover drive off his very first ball before smartly anticipating a short ball and cutting it over the infield behind square.
Notice the pattern? Suryakumar and Tilak threw caution to the wind and tried to put the pressure back on the bowlers. Unlike Jaiswal, though, they didn't take any undue risks and dispatched only those balls that deserved to be hit.
When the alliance was broken, with Suryakumar somehow managing to find fine leg off a rank full-toss, India's score was 121/3. The Mumbai Indians (MI) pair stitched together a masterful partnership in conditions that weren't as easy as their performances suggested, not for the first time this series.
#1 Mistake - Mukesh Kumar didn't take the new ball and bowled solely at the death
What is Mukesh Kumar's role in the Indian T20I team? He isn't a hit-the-deck bowler, so using him in the middle overs might be an outdated strategy. Ideally, the Bengal seamer should be used with the new ball, when he is at his most dangerous.
However, in the third T20I, Hardik Pandya used Mukesh as a specialist death bowler. The pacer bowled the 18th and 20th overs, dismissing Shimron Hetmyer off his very first delivery and conceding a total of 19 runs. He dished out a few full-tosses and was punished, just like he was in the second T20I at the same venue.
If not to harness Mukesh's most potent skill, which is powerplay bowling, India should've at least used him with the new ball to truly ascertain his full value to the team. They clearly have faith in his abilities, having handed him caps in all three formats, but his usage in the third T20I was strange to see.