"We are playing for the people of the Caribbean" - Rovman Powell discloses team meeting that led to West Indies' turnaround
West Indies captain Rovman Powell struggled to put his feelings into words after defeating India 3-2 in the T20I series on Sunday. He said his team spoke about "playing for the people of the Caribbean" after India drew level at 2-2 on Saturday.
The hosts put up their best performance in Florida. They kept India down to 165/9 after Romario Shepherd's four wickets and chased it down in just 18 overs, with Brandon King top-scoring with 85 (55). This was their first win in a five-T20I rubber.
"It's difficult to put into adjectives," Powell said in the post-match presentation. "The guys knew that it was a big series. To beat India is a big thing. Emotions are high definitely. Last night when we got defeated, we sat down and had a meeting. We are playing for the people of the Caribbean was what we spoke about and that we needed to perform for them."
The team's star player, Nicholas Pooran played a major role in their wins in the first two matches but the team struggled when he got out cheaply in the next two. Pooran again scored 47 (35) but King and Shai Hope (22 off 13)'s contributions were key.
"We sat up and spoke about Nicholas being a very important component of the team. Other batters around them have to do their work as well. Credit goes to the bowlers as well for retracting the powerful batting lineup."
Powell also credited the coaching staff led by Darren Sammy for keeping the team calm after Saturday's defeat.
"It shows that cricket is so much more for the people of the Caribbean" - Rovman Powell
Powell also thanked the West Indian supporters who traveled from the Carribean to Florida.
"The West Indies supporters are always behind us," he said. "Not just physically but also on social media. It shows that cricket is so much more for the people of Caribbean. A big thanks to the fans for coming in numbers."
India won the Test series 1-0 and the ODI series 2-1 before losing the T20Is 3-2.