India beat West Indies in 5th T20I, win series 4-1
India clinched a comprehensive 88-run win over West Indies in the fifth and final T20I. Batting first, the Men in Blue hoarded 188/7, with Shreyas Iyer (64) smashing the bulk of the tally. For WI, Odean Smith pocketed the best figures (3/33). Barring Shimron Hetmyer (56), none of the Windies batters had a decent show on offer (100/10). Here's more.
India lost Ishan Kishan early on, but paced their innings well, credits to Iyer and Hooda. Stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya was a huge plus for the visitors. He belted 6, 4, and 6 off Jason Holder in the 19th over. Later, the Indian spin trio of Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, and Kuldeep Yadav put WI out of the chase to snatch an easy triumph.
Iyer, who struggled for a decent show in the T20I leg versus WI, came all guns blazing in Lauderhill. He marched his way to a 40-ball 64, reaching the 50-run mark in 30 deliveries. He smacked eight fours and two sixes. Notably, it was Iyer's seventh T20I fifty and first against the Windies. He has breached the 1,000-run mark (1,029) while averaging 33.19.
Iyer (1,029) has become only the eighth Indian batter to attain 1,000 or more runs in the format. Rohit Sharma (3,487), Virat Kohli (3,308), KL Rahul (1,831), Shikhar Dhawan (1,759), MS Dhoni (1,617), Suresh Raina (1,605), and Yuvraj Singh (1,177) are the others.
Hooda slapped a 25-ball 38, courtesy of three fours and two sixes. He weaved a crucial 76-run stand with Iyer at the other end. The right-hander now holds 274 T20I runs across seven innings, averaging a monstrous 54.80. Meanwhile, Hardik thumped a quickfire 28 off 16 deliveries, hitting two fours and two sixes. The hard-hitter has raced to 834 runs (SR: 144.04).
Smith has had expensive outings in this format. However, the bowling all-round shrugged off his inconsistencies to dish a career-best effort. Sanju Samson was bowled out by Smith's pace in 18th over. A slower one got Dinesh Karthik out LBW. Axar routed back to the pavilion after ill-timing a wide full toss. Smith now holds 13 T20I wickets at 35.38.
Axar Patel bowled superbly as he swept the Windies' top order. He concluded with 3/15 in three overs, including a maiden. He now has 21 scalps (economy: 7.33). Ravi Bishnoi snared career-best figures of 4/16 in 2.4 overs. He holds 15 scalps at 16.53. Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav aced his return, bagging figures worth 3/12 in four overs. He has 44 wickets at 14.02.
India's spin trio of Kuldeep, Axar, and Bishnoi uprooted the entire Windies' batting order. As per Kausthub Gudipati, it's the first instance in men's T20Is wherein spinners have claimed all 10 wickets in an innings. Also, Iyer's 64 is the highest score by an Indian batter in his maiden innings as an opener in men's T20Is. He bettered Ajinkya Rahane'a 61 (vs England, 2011).
