India Player Ratings from 1st T20I vs West Indies as Hardik Pandya and Co. suffer chastening defeat in series opener
Team India went behind for the first time on their tour of the Caribbean as West Indies clinched the opening T20I by four runs in Trinidad on Thursday.
After Rovman Powell won the toss and elected to bat first, the home side put on 149/6 on the back of gritty knocks from their skipper and Nicholas Pooran. India were well in control of the chase at one point but stumbled towards the end of their innings to fall short in the final over.
On that note, here are India's player ratings from the first T20I against West Indies.
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Ishan Kishan: 2/10
Kishan couldn't carry his ODI form into the shortest format as his poor T20I run continued. He looked unconvincing at the crease before falling to a big hit while trying to break free. It might already be time for India to consider bringing in Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Shubman Gill: 2/10
Gill, whose last T20I innings was a record-breaking century against New Zealand, made three runs off nine balls in Trinidad. Like his opening partner, he attempted to get a move on and perished. The 23-year-old shelled a tough catch while running back that proved costly.
Sanju Samson: 4/10
Samson came in at No. 6, which wasn't ideal. He hit one six but was otherwise shackled at the crease before being run out. Was he slightly lazy in trying to make his ground?
Suryakumar Yadav: 6/10
Suryakumar struck two fours and a six in his run-a-ball 21 and wasn't his fluent self. The T20I superstar was dismissed trying to force the pace against Jason Holder just when it seemed like he was stitching together a good partnership with Tilak Varma.
Hardik Pandya: 6.5/10
Hardik bowled three decent post-powerplay overs, with his cutters and bouncers keeping the West Indian batters on their toes. His last over was a touch expensive, but that can be attributed to Yuzvendra Chahal's drop at cover.
The Indian skipper came to the crease at the fall of the fourth wicket and essayed a run-a-ball 19. He was dismissed at an inopportune time while playing an unconvincing cross-batted nudge against Holder, after which India never recovered.
Axar Patel: 3/10
Axar's two overs in the powerplay went for 22 runs as Brandon King and Co. picked off two fours and a six off his bowling. The southpaw once again came in to bat in an impossible situation and couldn't get the job done. He took a good catch on the sweeper boundary.
Tilak Varma: 8.5/10
Tilak was arguably the best Indian player on display in Trinidad. He plucked two catches, including a stunning grab to dismiss Johnson Charles, and struck two sixes to get his international career up and running. The 20-year-old scored a team-high 39 but would be kicking himself at the way he got out.
Yuzvendra Chahal: 7/10
Chahal trapped two West Indian batters in front off the first three balls of his spell, but things went slightly haywire after that. The leg-spinner's strategy of flighting the ball to the moon just doesn't seem to pay off against the best batters in the world, although his economy rate of eight from three overs wasn't the worst.
Kuldeep Yadav: 8/10
Kuldeep bowled a tantalizing spell, with his four overs costing just 20 runs and fetching Charles' wicket. The left-arm wrist-spinner was unlucky not to get the important scalp of Powell, with Gill putting him down. He should clearly be ahead of Chahal in the T20I pecking order.
Mukesh Kumar: 8/10
Mukesh bowled only one over in the powerplay as India turned to spin. He returned to take up death-bowling duties and was exceptional, not conceding a single boundary in the 18th and 20th overs. The fast bowler can't rely on his yorker all the time, though.
Arshdeep Singh: 8/10
Arshdeep wasn't at his threatening best in Trinidad but prised out two wickets, those of Powell and Shimron Hetmyer. The left-armer was economical at the death and bowled a good first over. He even chipped in with a couple of boundaries to get India within touching distance of the target, but it wasn't to be.