India were brought down to the haunches in the 5th T20I as West Indies stormed to a 8-wicket victory. For the first time in 17 years, India has lost a bilateral series versus West Indies and this most certainly has raised a lot of eyeballs.
West Indies have been at the receiving end of a lot of hate, criticism and ignominy and this has been a perfect redemption for them. After failing to qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022 and then in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, West Indies had plunged to an all-time low in white-ball cricket.
Despite rain and lightning stopping the game for brief periods, West Indies couldn’t walk away from what they deserved. Batting first, India put on 165 runs on the board. West Indies chased it down with ease and with 12 balls remaining.
In this article, we take a look at 3 talking points of the 5th WI vs IND T20I, that took place in Lauderhill, Florida:
1. Surya Kumar Yadav’s fireworks
At a time when the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson failed to get their bearings right, Surya Kumar Yadav silently did his job. He smashed 61 runs in 45 deliveries and took India to a respectable total for the bowlers to defend.
Yadav’s innings which was blistering in all its ways, was peppered with 4 fours and 3 sixes and he had a strike-rate of 135.56.
2. Romario Shepherd shines with the ball
28-year-old Guyanese cricketer Romario Shepherd hit the right lengths and did the trick for the hosts in this game. He bagged 4 wickets and was the cynosure of all eyes as he conceded only 31 runs in 4 overs.
Shepherd’s wickets included the likes of Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh. He deservedly bagged the player of the match award for being the pick of the bowlers in the 5th T20I.
3. Brandon King’s masterclass with the bat
In response, the likes of Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran raced away to big scores. Opener Brandon King scored 85* runs in 55 balls and his innings was dotted with 5 fours and 6 sixes and he had a blistering strike-rate of 154.55.
King smeared all the Indian bowlers across the park and made sure that he takes West Indies over the finishing line with his batting prowess.
King’s knock of 85* runs was also the 4th highest individual score in a successful T20I chase versus India.
Also read: CPL 2023: 3 Reasons Why Kieron Pollard Might Have A Good Season
