Follow UsIt was atypical of India in the run-chase as the lack of pace crippled them big-time to force a complete change in strategy. Windies were relentless in their approach and forced India to bat within themselves by ensuring a tight line on a surface that was not easy to bat on. It didn’t work out well for the visitors as losing constant wickets became a bugbear, and a fine 18th over from Jason Holder changed the story in Windies’ lane.
Windies skipper Rovman Powell was all praise for the former skipper and stated that Holder’s advice, during the interval, worked like a charm for them.
"I think it was a game for West Indies to lose, to be honest. Because they didn't have a set batter, one of their top six batters wasn't there. So I was confident going into the last over. Not just the 18th over, he summed up the conditions very well. At the interval, Holder tells us in the dressing room that 'pace off - force the Indians to hit the ball, not use the pace'. And I think today Jase was fantastic," Powell said in the post-match presentation.
While India decided to go with three spinners in the form of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Yuzvendra Chahal, Windies had only Akeal Hosein in the playing XI. The contrasting selection became apparent when India restricted the Windies to 149/6 in 20 overs, and Powell acknowledged that he felt they were one spinner short.
"Yeah, after watching what the Indians bowled, I was thinking if we were a spinner short, to be honest. But we've got to utilize what we have and back our skills. We know what our fast bowlers bowl, with many change-ups, it will be difficult for the Indians. We always knew that the new ball was going to give us runs. It was always going to be a good powerplay and then slow down in the middle because they have a lot of very good spinners.”
Powell further stated that the eventual scoreline for the series will be decided on the basis of how West Indian batter bat in the middle overs.
"This series will be decided on how West Indian batters bat spin in those middle overs. If we bat spin good during the middle overs, then we have lot of batters at the back end and we have a lot of power in the back end. That makes left-handers - [Shimron] Hetmyer, [Nicholas] Pooran and Kyle Mayers - very, very important for those middle overs.