3 Indian players who flopped in the 2nd T20I vs West Indies
Team India failed to get off the mark in the five-match T20I series against West Indies in Guyana on Sunday as the hosts clinched the second encounter by two wickets.
Tilak Varma was India's standout batter as he notched up his maiden international half-century, with Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya also contributing a few runs. Hardik made an impression in the bowling department as well, finishing with three scalps. Yuzvendra Chahal was another bowler who performed well.
Others, however, failed to deliver in the contest. Here are three Indian players who flopped in the second T20I against West Indies.
#3 Shubman Gill
![Shubman Gill [left] has looked off-color across the two white-ball series](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/c136c-16910845461678-1920.jpg?w=500)
Two games into the T20I series, Shubman Gill has been one of the worst batters on display from either side. The young opener, who came into the assignment on the back of his maiden century in the format against New Zealand, has racked up two single-digit scores on the trot.
In both games, Gill has attempted to break the shackles after playing a plethora of dots early in his innings. In Guyana, he pulled Alzarri Joseph for a huge six before trying to clear the midwicket boundary once again, this time off a fuller delivery. The ensuing edge was safely snaffled by Shimron Hetmyer in the deep.
With Yashasvi Jaiswal knocking on the T20I door from the bench, Gill won't have an extra-long rope despite his ton against the Kiwis and his prolific 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign.
#2 Mukesh Kumar
![Mukesh Kumar [right] made his T20I debut in the previous game](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/08/6db89-16913454866681-1920.jpg)
Mukesh Kumar's white-ball credentials have been questioned ever since his maiden call-up to India's limited-overs side. Having made his debut in all three formats, the fast bowler has made some decent contributions so far, but his shortcomings were slightly exposed in the second T20I.
A bowler who relies on accuracy to make up for his lack of pace and variations, Mukesh's weaknesses caught up to him in Guyana. He was often too short and overcompensated with juicy full-tosses while attempting yorkers, which went awry throughout his spell.
Mukesh was India's most expensive bowler in the second T20I as he leaked runs at an economy rate of 9.13, with even his wicket of Nicholas Pooran being rather fortunate. It remains to be seen if he can develop his bowling enough to become a reliable white-ball option.
#1 Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson is running out of time to stake a claim for a regular spot in India's T20I side. He has notched up consecutive failures in the ongoing series against West Indies, with both dismissals betraying his game awareness and application.
In the second T20I, Samson danced down the track and got nowhere near the pitch of the ball. He was beaten all ends up and stumped by Pooran, with Akeal Hosein celebrating the fall of India's No. 5.
In 18 T20I innings, Samson has an average of 18.82 and a strike rate of 131.15, with only one fifty to his name. The 28-year-old hasn't scored more than 30 runs in any of his last five knocks in the format.