Prior to this, the West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first against India in the first T20I. Nicholas Pooran (41) and Rovman Powell (48) led their team to a respectable total of 149/6.
A remarkable victory for the West Indies as their bowlers delivered a miraculous performance to end the gripping thriller, winning by 4 runs, and establishing a 1-0 lead in this five-match T20I series. In the first game, the two-time World Champions showed why they were the best. At no stage in the game did the Indian team attempt to pull ahead of the chase as they continued to take hits at regular intervals.
With the ball, Windies’ Jason Holder shone, allowing only 19 runs in four overs, including a double-wicket maiden. Obed McCoy and Romario Shepherd both grabbed two wickets, while Akeal Hosein also took one scalp while being frugal.
Rovman Powell (48 off 32 balls) scored a captain’s knock to help West Indies reach 149 for six after the hosts elected to bat at the Brian Lara Stadium. India self-destructed with 37 needed off the last 30 balls and six wickets in hand, finishing at 145 for nine in 20 overs. Jason Holder returned the West Indies to the game with a maiden in the 16th over, finding the stumps of India skipper Hardik Pandya (19) before Sanju Samson (12) was run out. Arshdeep Singh (12) added a couple of fours in the last over, taking advantage of an extra fielder in the circle due to the home team’s poor over rate.
