NEWS
Follow UsIndia walked into the series against West Indies despite not losing a T20I series in 12 consecutive series. But all their record came crashing down when Rovman Powell’s Men in Maroon completed a 3-2 series win, putting the visitors in a whole lot of trouble.
Even in the fifth T20I here in Florida, Hardik Pandya opted to bat first, with the visitors starting the clash on the worst possible note, at 17/2. But from thereon, a partnership between Suryakumar Yadav (61 off 45) and Tilak Varma (27 off 18) briefly lifted the Indian hopes high before Roston Chase ended Tilak’s breezy stay.
India then massively struggled, including skipper Hardik, who scored an 18-ball 14, which ultimately was a phase that cost India the clash. The all-rounder admitted stating that it was that ten overs, where they couldn’t capitalise on, that made a difference.
"If you see, we lost that period post ten overs. Since when I came, I wasn't able to capitalise and I took my time and could not finish. I believe that as a group we have to challenge ourselves. All these games are the games where we have to learn. We have spoken as a group that whenever we can take the hard way we will. In hindsight, one series here or there doesn't matter but the commitment to the goal is important,” Hardik stated in the post-match presentation.
The hosts were set a target of 166 to win, and it was a brilliant show from Brandon King, a 55-ball 85 that helped the Men in Maroon to an easy win. Hardik insisted that losing ‘sometimes’ is good, and insisted that India will get to learn more from the series loss than otherwise.
“It's a long way. We have the ODI WC coming up. And sometimes losing is good. You get to learn a lot. And special mention for all the boys. They showed great character. Winning and losing is a part of the process and we are going to make sure we learn from that,” he added.
India had as many as eight bowlers during the fifth T20I, including spells for both Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and the all-rounder insisted that the bowling changes were a ‘gut’ feel. But at the same time, India can draw plenty of positives from the series, including the display from Tilak, who scored 173 runs in the series, averaging 57.66.
“It is what I feel at the moment, I don't plan much. If I see a situation, whatever my gut says I follow. They've got heart. That is something that's very important in international cricket. Every youngster coming through has belief. That's something I see very often now. Kudos to them, they came out and took responsibility. I can't be happier as a captain."
