3 Indian players who flopped in the 5th T20I vs West Indies
Team India lost their first bilateral series to West Indies in 17 years as the hosts triumphed by eight wickets in the deciding T20I at Lauderhill in Florida on Sunday, August 13.
There were some notable performances by India's players. Suryakumar Yadav played a lone hand with an enterprising half-century as wickets fell around him. Tilak Varma made the team's second-highest score and chipped in with a wicket as well. Kuldeep Yadav, meanwhile, conceded only 18 runs in his four overs.
Others, however, failed to deliver in the contest. Here are three Indian players who flopped in the fifth T20I against West Indies.
#3 Yuzvendra Chahal
For how long will India persist with Yuzvendra Chahal's outdated bowling approach in T20I cricket? They experienced the clear pitfalls of the same in the deciding T20I, with the leg-spinner being taken to the cleaners (and then some) by the West Indian batters.
Chahal was butchered for five sixes over the course of his spell, with a few of them hit by Brandon King, who has never been the best player of spin. Nicholas Pooran also had his way with the experienced bowler, who attempted to flight the ball over and over again despite the results staying the same.
With options like Ravi Bishnoi on the bench, it's a mystery why India choose to keep playing Chahal.
#2 Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill roared back to form in the fourth T20I with a fast-paced 77, breaking a run of three single-digit scores to commence the series. However, the opening batter returned to his earlier ways in the decisive clash and made it four failures out of five.
Gill made nine runs before being adjudged LBW off Akeal Hosein, missing a sweep. Although it seemed like a close call on initial viewing, the batter immediately turned out and commenced his walk back to the pavilion, with non-striker Suryakumar Yadav not taking a stand either.
Replays showed that the ball would've missed leg-stump, leaving Gill to regret his decision not to review. The 23-year-old finished the series with an average of 20.4 and a strike rate of 120.00.
#1 Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya came to the crease in the 11th over, with India placed at 87/4 with the perfect chance to play the kind of cricket he has been playing over the last two years. He merely needed to keep the scoreboard moving without taking any major risks before attempting to tee off at the death.
However, Hardik was more than happy to rack up a string of dots to start his innings. He scored only eight runs off his first 16 balls and desperately needed to get going, with only four overs left in the innings. The No. 6 batter, though, holed out in the deep soon after, leaving his team in a world of trouble.
Hardik's day didn't get much better in the second innings. The Indian skipper leaked 32 runs in the three overs he bowled and got it wrong on several tactical fronts. In fact, several questions need to be asked of his decision to bat first at the toss, which ended up having a big impact on the game.