"It meant a lot to us, especially because we've been going through some hard times" - Romario Shepherd on monumental series win over India
West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd has highlighted the importance of winning a T20I series against a heavyweight side like India. The Men in Maroon emerged as winners by a 3-2 margin after nearly blowing away a 2-0 lead.
Shepherd was adjudged Player of the Match for his performance in the series decider. He chipped in with his best-ever bowling figures of 4-31 off four overs, with his scalps including the crucial wickets of Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya.
West Indies came into the series on the back of a humiliating exit from the ICC ODI World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe. They lost to Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, and Sri Lanka and could not make it into the finals.
Romario Shepherd mentioned during the post-match presentation that the series win over India comes at the right time for the WIndies.
"It meant a lot to us, especially because we've been going through some hard times in the past couple of months, so to win against a team like India, it means a lot for us and the fans," he said.
The all-rounder further stated the plans to dismiss Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya.
"Especially to Sanju, the plan was to hit the wicket and to Surya to get him to hit straight down the ground," he added.
Indian middle-order batters could not make much of an impression in the first innings. Samson ended his tour by scoring just 13 runs off nine balls, while Hardik struggled for his 14 runs off 18 deliveries.
"I've been hitting my areas and bowling well from the start to the end" - Romario Shepherd
The all-rounder played all five matches in the series and ended with nine wickets and also scored six runs in four innings. West Indies chased down the 166-run target in the series finale to conclude the all-format tour.
Nicholas Pooran was adjudged the Player of the Series for his exploits with the bat. Shepherd praised the wicketkeeper-batter as well as top-scorer Brandon King for their efforts in the run chase.
"It makes me feel happy because we ended up on the winning side. So thanks to Pooran and King for playing so well. Right now, from the ODIs to now, I've been hitting my areas and bowling well from the start to the end," he stated.
West Indies' next international endeavor comes in the form of series' against Afghanistan and England. The Windies players will use the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as an avenue to remain in rhythm and maintain form.