3 things India need to do right to win 5th T20I vs West Indies
In the fourth T20I, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal stitched a partnership of 165 runs for the opening wicket, which became the highest-ever partnership for India in T20Is. Their efforts led India to successfully chase down a target of 179 and level the series at 2-2 against West Indies, with one game remaining in the five-match series.
Gill reached his half-century in 30 balls. Just two deliveries later, Jaiswal joined him by becoming the fourth-youngest Indian to achieve a T20I half-century, accomplishing it in 33 deliveries.
Here we take a look at 3 things India need to win the 5th T20I match against West Indies:
#3 Restrict scoring in powerplay
India have been good in the first six overs with the ball. Axar Patel started the proceedings in the fourth match. Captain Hardik Pandya would want to mix and match his options. Arshdeep Singh has offered great control, while Mukesh Kumar too has looked good across different stages of the innings.
The visitors need to control West Indies' stroke-makers in the first six overs as it will allow their spinners to come into the game and make an impression with wickets, as well as dot balls.
#2 Control with the spinners
Kuldeep Yadav has been brilliant all series and he will once again be the biggest threat for West Indies. In the fourth match, he picked up two wickets in his four overs, while giving away 26 runs. Pandya has used him as an attacking option in the middle overs and the left-arm spinner has delivered.
Yuzvendra Chahal, on the other hand, had a tough game in the fourth match as he was taken for 36 runs in his four overs. He, along with Axar Patel, will have a role to play as the visitors not only need to control the run flow but also chip away at the wickets when the fielding restrictions are relaxed.
#1 Onus on the top order
Indian openers were relentless in the fourth T20I. Yashavi Jaiswal took charge right from the beginning.
After a difficult run in this series, Shubman Gill also joined in as both the young batters maintained their momentum. Even though there was a slight dip in their pace after the Powerplay, they reached the 100-run mark by the halfway point of their chase.
This is great news for the visitors as apart from the openers, Suryakumar Yadav has also been in good form. The onus will once again be on the top three to not only get India off to a great start but also bat for the majority of the innings. India's batting is not deep which puts a lot of focus on the top and middle order to get the runs.