West Indies made a swift turnaround in the ongoing T20I series against India, winning the second match by six wickets in Ranchi on Friday to level the five-match series 1-1. For the Indian captain, Shreyas Iyer, it was a big setback after he slammed a magnificent unbeaten century to guide India to a dominant win in the first match. This time, however, it was West Indies captain Shai Hope who stole the spotlight, lifting his side to a big win with an unbeaten 102.
Asked to bat, India piled up a robust total of 249/5 in 20 overs. Chasing the target, West Indies skipper crafted a sensational century, recording the second-fastest T20I hundred by a West Indies batter and putting the Indian bowling attack under immense pressure. Speaking on India’s defeat, Iyer refrained from criticising any member of his side; rather, he felt that the presence of dew made things difficult for the team.
“Honestly speaking, you cannot put a number to it, because when the dew factor comes in, it plays a massive role. And even 249 was chased with two overs to spare. So, you cannot give a number, or probably anticipate that, okay, this is the number we would be trying to score,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
West Indies batters Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd also contributed bigly, smashing 84 and 34*, respectively.
“The margin of error on this wicket was very minor. You could see how exceptional they (WI) were in their batting. A few missed chances here and there, but that's part and parcel of the game. But credit where it's due, they batted amazing,” Iyer said.
Iyer also praised Indian openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma for their exceptional performances.
“Both were phenomenal in their departments, and this is what we look for every now and then from Sanju and Abhishek. The way they've been performing consistently throughout, taking that responsibility and setting the pace for us especially exceptional performances by them. Also, Mayank, those three crucial wickets, it was something that stabilised the rhythm for us up ahead. But then, the partnership came in, and the momentum shifted towards them,” he said.