"Brandon King flew under the radar and hurt India" - Robin Uthappa hails West Indies opener for series-winning knock in 5th T20I against India
Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa believes with all the focus being on danger man Nicholas Pooran, opener Brandon King went under the radar. King played a match-winning knock in the fifth T20I against India at Lauderhill in Florida on Sunday, August 13.
The West Indian opener smashed his highest T20I score of 85 from 55 deliveries and was involved in a 107-run partnership with Pooran to propel the hosts to a convincing eight-wicket win. Nicholas Pooran destroyed the Men in Blue in the opening two T20Is and finished as the leading run-scorer in the series with 176 runs at a strike rate of 141.93.
Speaking to Jio Cinema after the game, Uthappa lauded King for his heroic performance.
"Comprehensive victory from West Indies. They started well with the bat and continued to score in the same run-rate. Kudos to West Indies and especially Brandon King. Started a little slow with the bat and as he played more balls he grew into the game. With teams focusing a lot of their energy on Nicholas Pooran, Brandon King flew under the radar and hurt India," said Uthappa.
Despite all the limelight being hogged by Pooran, King had an impressive series, finishing as the second-highest scorer with 173 runs at an average of 43.25.
The series defeat was India's first in any format against the West Indies since 2017 and their first in a five-match T20I series.
West Indies win their second consecutive T20I series
West Indies celebrated their first series win against India in six years and their second straight series win in T20Is with their 3-2 victory against the Asian giants.
The Men from the Caribbean defeated South Africa away from home earlier this year by a 2-1 scoreline for their first consecutive series win since 2017. West Indies have hit all-time lows in all formats, especially in the white-ball, with their inability to qualify for the T20 World Cup last year and the ODI World Cup this year.
However, T20 series victories against two of the strongest teams in the world could potentially serve as a catalyst to kickstart their resurgence.
Although the hosts held a 2-0 lead in the India series, they appeared to be floundering with losses in the next two games. But, an all-round performance with ball and bat ensured they weren't the first side to lose after taking a 2-0 lead in a T20I series.
As for India, it was their first T20I series defeat since the 2021 tour to Sri Lanka. They will look to bounce back in the three-match T20I series against Ireland, starting in Dublin on Friday, August 18.