Rain played spoilsport as India looked set to level the T20I series 1-1 in the second T20I against West Indies. In the end, India were left to rue their one-run loss in the first game which meant West Indies won the series 1-0.
After winning the toss, MS Dhoni elected to field first once again but this time the bowlers came up trumps as the bowled out the Windies for 143. The star of the show was undoubtedbly Amit Mishra, who was making his T20I comeback and finished with his career-best T20I figures.
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In response, Indian openers were starting to make light work of the target before the rain came down. Because only two overs were bowled (5 is the minimum required in T20I for completed game) the game was abandoned as the play couldn’t continue.
West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite praised the Indian bowlers. He said: “Indian bowlers executed their plans really well. We tried our best, didn't get the score we wanted but we always had full confidence in defending our total. Lewis and Charles are the positives for us.
Speaking about his first stint as West Indies captain, Brathwaite said: “For me as a young leader to know and lead the players is an exciting experience. We want to remain champions and entertain the West Indian crowd.”
Indian captain MS Dhoni said: “I think it was quite difficult. But the way the bowlers bowled was brilliant. They executed the plans very well, good batting effort would have seen us go through. We played one batter short, but realizing the wicket we thought we need an extra bowler.”
He reserved special praise for Mishra, who was brought in for Stuart Binny for this game. “Leg-spinner is a fair option. Mishra bowled exceedingly well and was well supported by Ashwin.”
Dhoni wants to play cricket in USA
Speaking about the prospect of playing in the USA, both captains welcomed the move and Dhoni went even so far as to say that he wants to play a “triangular or four-nation series” in the country.
“This is one place where we can come back and play cricket. A triangular or four-nation series. A tournament like that can give us more time to spend in the US. Yes, it will be a cramped schedule, but modern-day cricketers won't mind it. This is one place where spectators will come. The timing suits us. So it's a win-win situation. So it's a good venue to continue cricket,” Dhoni added.
His opposite number echoed his sentiments as Brathwaite said: “Most definitely we would love to come back here again. Fantastic wicket and lovely facilities, it will only get better. We want to play a big part in bringing cricket here. We really enjoyed our time in Florida.”
Ravichandran Ashwin also admitted that the performance was a “welcome relief” and added that the bowlers didn’t want to be predictable.
“This is a welcome relief for all the bowlers after what happened yesterday. In terms of length, we didn’t want to be too predictable. We also took the lines wider from where the wind was helping the batsmen to hit the shots. All the plans were executed well, good six overs first up,” Ashwin said.
He also added that he wanted to improve. “I have been some sort of a mainstay in the T20 side for India, but in terms of what's happened in the last few games, I definitely want to improve my game.”
Here are the reactions from the cricket fraternity as
Virender Sehwag:
Aakash Chopra:
Harsha Bhogle:
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