STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsIt was a special match for the West Indies captain Kieron Pollard as he was featuring for the 100th time in maroon in the shortest format of the game. However, the result wasn’t a desired one for the big man from Trinidad.
After winning the toss, Pollard rightfully opted to bowl. Ishan Kishan jetlagged from his rusty innings in the first T20I failed to make contributions. Rohit Sharma too departed early. Virat Kohli at his absolute best registered a half-century and was dismissed soon after for 52. Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer set the stage ablaze with a 35-ball 76-run partnership for the fifth wicket that propelled India to a total of 186/5. Pant scored an unbeaten 52 at a strike rate of 185.7. Amidst all the striking Roston Chase once again impressed everyone with the ball as he bagged three wickets for 25.
In reply, West Indies lost both their openers early with both Kyle Mayers and Brandon King scoring at a strike rate less than 100 runs. However, the whole unsuccessful chase was about Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell. They forged a 100-run partnership for the third wicket that threatened India all the way until Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered a sensational 19th over. India held their nerves to win the match by eight runs and seal the series.
Pollard the first West Indian to 100 T20Is
As mentioned earlier, Pollard featured in his 100th T20I game and became the first West Indian player to achieve this feat in T20Is. He is the only West Indian player to feature in 100+ games in both the limited-overs format.
Despite playing over 100 games in both ODIs and T20Is, Pollard hasn’t played a single Test match. Hence, making him the only player in the game of cricket to play 100+ matches in both limited-overs formats and not having a Test cap.
Rohit is Chase’s bunny this series
Chase has had the better of Rohit in this series, dismissing him in both the matches. In the first T20I, he tried to slog over mid-wicket and was caught at the edge of the boundary. In today’s match, looking for a similar shot, the ball ballooned off the top edge and King was under it at covers. In all T20s since 2020, Rohit averages 21 against off-spinners, his lowest against any bowling type.
By dismissing Rohit for the second time, Chase became the first spinner to dismiss Rohit twice in a T20I series. Across all T20s, only two other bowlers have done this. Anil Kumble in 2009 IPL and Shane Warne in 2011 IPL are the other bowlers.
Virat equals Rohit
Two of India’s modern-day greats are on equal terms now. As far as runs are concerned, Kohli has the edge as he is at 3,296 with Rohit trailing by 40 runs at 3,256. However, both batsmen have hit the same number of 50+ scores.
Kohli reached his 30th score of over 50, leveling Rohit. All of Virat’s 30 scores of over 50 have been between 50-99. Rohit on the other hand has four centuries to his name and 26 fifties.
Powell and Pooran bonding well
There isn’t a better sight than watching two of the most powerful hitters batting together well and bonding well in T20s. Since the time Pooran started to bat at number three for West Indies, his consistency has gone to another level. His partnership with Powell has come as a blessing for the West Indies.
By stitching a century partnership (100) in the second T20I, they became the first West Indian pair to be involved in two or more century partnerships in the format. More to their glory, this was the second time West Indian number three and four batsmen registered a 50+ score in T20Is. In the other instance as well, it was the same pair. Pooran had scored 70 and Powell had scored 107 against England earlier in 2022.
The second team with 100 wins in T20Is
It has been a milestone kind-of series for India. To start, India became the first team in ODIs to feature in 1,000 matches in the first ODI against West Indies. With a win in the first T20I, Rohit became the most successful captain in T20I among players who have led their team in 20+ matches.
With a win in the second T20I, India not only sealed the series, but they also became the second team after Pakistan (118) to have a ton of wins. India have a win/loss ratio of 1.901, which is the second-best after Afghanistan (2.142) among the Test-playing nations.
