India vs West Indies: 3 observations from the 2nd T20I as India seal series win
India had to work hard, the West Indies batters flexed their muscles and in the final over, Harshal Patel held his nerve to hand India a win by 8 runs to go up 2-0 in the series. It was a riveting contest as both teams launched an attack. In the end, only 8 runs separated the two sides.
Kieron Pollard won the toss and elected to bowl first. West Indies started well and they put India under pressure in the powerplay. However, Virat Kohli was in the zone as he cruised to a 50. Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer added the finishing touches as India set a target of 187.
West Indies were always in the game and put a lot of pressure on the Indian bowlers courtesy of the power-hitting of Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell. However, India had just enough to win the match by 8 runs and seal the series.
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We take a look at three observations from the 2nd India vs West Indies T20I.
3) Virat Kohli finds some form
Virat Kohli ran out to the middle after Ishan Kishan was dismissed. He gauged the field, there was a slip and short leg in position. The ball from Akeal Hosein was angled in and he clipped it neatly past square leg to get rolling. He then unfurled a delicate lap sweep and the Indian skipper looked like he meant business.
He then stepped away and crunched a short ball outside off cover. Virat Kohli had announced his arrival - the hustle between the wickets was back, the chips over the infield were back as he sauntered to his half-century.
This augurs well for India and Virat Kohli as the former India captain put in the foundation for a late flourish.
🗣️🗣️Important to back yourself & trust your abilities
@imVkohli talks about his mindset after his half-century.
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2) Late flourish from Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer
Virat Kohli had set the stage and Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer provided the finishing touches with an assault on the West Indies attack. They attacked the spinners and pacers alike and added 76 runs 37 balls to launch India past 180.
Pant, after missing out in the first match, walked out to bat at No. 5 and got cracking immediately. The unorthodox shots were back, the running between the wickets was back and the power game put pressure on the West Indies bowlers. Pant raced to his 50 and found good assistance from Venkatesh Iyer.
Iyer looked good in the first T20I and once again hit the ground running from the word-go. He was dismissed in the final over but not before he had scored 33 off 18 balls.
How good have these two been 👏👏
Bring up a 50-run partnership between them.
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1) The Powell and Pooran dominate Indian bowlers
Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell smashed the Indian bowlers after starting cautiously. The duo unfurled an array of power hits as they added 100 runs in 10 overs and put a lot of pressure on the Indian bowlers.
Pooran smashed 62 runs in 41 balls while Powell stayed unbeaten on 68 off 36 deliveries. Powell then went on to blast a couple of sixes in the final over. However, Harshal Patel kept his calm and India sealed the game by 8 runs.