India vs West Indies 2016, 1st T20I: Player Ratings
Dubbed as the battle between two of the most flamboyant T20 sides at the moment, the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Florida was geared up to witness a spectacle. And the batsmen on show gave them their money’s worth by plundering as many as 489 runs between them.
Launching a no-holds-barred attack, West Indies surged to a humongous total on a pitch which proved to be a nightmare for every type of bowler. Despite a spirited response, the Indians fell agonizingly short to lose the first T20I by a solitary run.
Let us analyze at what each player did in the riveting contest.
West Indies
Dwayne Bravo – 9.5
A game-changer in all departments, Bravo managed to secure victory from the jaws of defeat with a breathtaking final over. After snaring a catch out of nowhere, he went on to dismiss Virat Kohli and deny MS Dhoni at the death.
Evin Lewis – 9.5
Coming into the match, the left-hander had played only one international match with a seven-ball duck to his name. However, when the 24-year old was done today, he displayed his hitting prowess by tearing apart the Indian bowlers with a sparkling century at a staggering strike-rate of 204.08.
Johnson Charles – 9
Brutal and domineering, Charles flat-batted against anything the Indians came up with and provided a pulsating start to the innings. When he looked set to reach three figures, an attempt to tackle a Mohammed Shami yorker ended his high-impact 33-ball 79.
Kieron Pollard – 7
Capable of dispatching even good deliveries beyond the fence with minimal effort, Pollard hit a couple of lusty blows in his brief stay at the crease. But, he overshadowed some of the other front-line bowlers in the game with an adequate spell which included the wicket of Rohit Sharma.
Samuel Badree – 5
For someone who sits at the top of the rankings, Badree was given only a couple of overs before being taken out of the attack. However, the leg-spinner could not quite find his rhythm when confronted by eager batsmen.
Carlos Brathwaite – 5
Captaining West Indies for the first time in his career, Brathwaite was helped by his seniors during key moments on the field. But, he struggled to have much influence on the contest with either bat or ball.
Marlon Samuels – 4.5
Arriving at the crease just prior to the last ball, Samuels played an inexplicable defensive prod and remained content with a single. After dropping a sitter in the first ball of the final over, he did not repeat the same mistake with a high-pressure catch to seal the deal.
Andre Russell – 4.5
Offering a complete package in the shortest format, the all-rounder had a rather forgettable day at the office. Aside from a cameo with the bat, Russell dropped a straight-forward catch and gave away 53 runs from his full quota of overs.
Lendl Simmons – 4
Not having much to do, other than enjoying the action from the comforts of the dressing room, Simmons walked into the middle during the penultimate delivery of the innings and returned immediately without troubling the scorers.
Sunil Narine – 3.5
Usually a trustworthy customer at any stage of the innings, Narine suffered an uncharacteristic hammering to concede 50 runs from 3 overs with Rohit Sharma, in particular, taking full toll of him.
Andre Fletcher – DNB
With the top four doing the bulk of the damage, Fletcher was not required to bat at all. But, he did pouch a smart grab to get rid of the dangerous Kohli.