3 Indian players who flopped in the 1st T20I vs West Indies
A double-wicket maiden from Jason Holder turned the tide at the business end of the second innings as West Indies beat Team India by four runs in the opening T20I of the five-match series in Trinidad on Thursday.
There were some notable performaces for the Men in Blue. Tilak Varma led the charge in the batting department, playing a sizzling cameo on his international debut. Most of India's bowlers were decent in the first innings as Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal led the way with two wickets each.
Others, however, failed to deliver in the contest. Here are three Indian players who flopped in the first T20I against West Indies.
#3 Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill has only recently become a reliable top-order batter in T20 cricket, with his role at the Gujarat Titans (GT) going a long way in his development. The 23-year-old's last T20I innings prior to Thursday's contest was his barnstorming unbeaten century against New Zealand.
Gill thus had high expectations on him coming into the ongoing white-ball series against West Indies. He didn't appear to be at his best during the first two ODIs before picking up the Player of the Match award in the decider. The opener's form seems to be following a similar pattern in the T20Is as well, with him making just three runs off nine balls in the opening game.
Gill was dismissed while trying to take on Akeal Hosein, who got one to turn past his blade. The usually assured player of spin was caught way outside his crease in a dismissal that was uncommon for a player of his caliber. He won't always be able to dig himself out of a dot-ball hole, as he learned the hard way in Tarouba.
Gill also shelled a difficult catch running backwards that would've shaved a few runs off the West Indian total. It wasn't a great outing overall for the talented young batter.
#2 Ishan Kishan
Gill's opening partner couldn't come up with the goods either. Ishan Kishan, who plundered three half-centuries in the preceding ODI series, couldn't carry his form into the shortest format.
Kishan was dismissed in the fifth over while trying to hoist Obed McCoy down the ground, only to find mid-on in a tame fashion. The left-hander's dismissal put India under immense pressure towards the end of the powerplay, with Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma luckily pulling them out of what could've been a disastrous situation in the chase.
Kishan's T20I record makes for terrible reading. He is without a fifty in his last 15 innings in the format and has recorded five single-digit scores in his last six outings. It might be time for India to weigh up their options at the top of the order.
#1 Axar Patel
With India having only two specialist fast bowlers in their playing XI, they were always going to turn to spin in the powerplay. Axar Patel, their only batting all-rounder for the tour, bowled two overs when the field was in.
Unfortunately, though, Axar wasn't his economical best. He overpitched once in his first over, and Brandon King took full toll of it by pumping him over the cover fence. In his second over, the last of the powerplay, Nicholas Pooran carted him for a four and a six to take his figures to 0/22 off two.
Axar came to bat with a lot on his plate, and Sanju Samson's run-out only worsened matters. He hit one six down the ground but was outfoxed by a cutter from McCoy, capping off a disappointing outing with both the bat and ball.