In the third T20I match of the five-match series, India defeated the West Indies by seven wickets at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
Rovman Powell won the toss and asked the Indian team to bowl first. The decision backfired, as the Men in Blue were sharp with their bowling, especially Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Though Yuzvendra Chahal got trashed, Hardik Pandya covered for him by just giving out 18 runs in three overs.
While chasing a pretty decent target of 160, Indian openers once again failed to give a positive start, only this time Yashasvi Jaiswal was on the receiving end. Shubman Gill, from the other side, also had to face the same faith as he got out in the powerplay yet again. It was Suryakumar Yadav (83) with his scintillating knock, which included 10 fours and four sixes, that brought the game in India’s favor. Tilak Varma (49) continued his fine form and helped his fellow Mumbai Indians teammate in the innings while also putting up 87 runs for the third wicket partnership. Skipper Pandya (20) also joined the party towards the end and helped India get over the winning line in just 18 overs.
For WI with the bat in the first innings, both openers, Brandon King (42) and Kyle Mayers (25) started off well and laid a good foundation for the middle-order batters. However, it was a disappointing show from Jonathan Charles (12) and Nicholas Pooran (20) which pulled the way in the visitor’s favor. In the end, Rovman Powell (40*) got some runs under his belt, which took WI to a score of 159/5 in 20 overs.
Indian bowlers once again performed exceptionally well, with Kuldeep Yadav obtaining three wickets alongside Mukesh Kumar and Axar Patel, who got one each as well.
While defending, Alzarri Joseph got two wickets, while Obed McCoy also managed to scalp one.
Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged Player of the Match for his outstanding batting show. Following this win, India finally won a game in the series and made it 2-1 with two matches to go.
Scorecard:
West Indies: 159/5, Overs 20, Brandon King 42, Kuldeep Yadav 3/28
India: 164/3, Overs 17.5, Suryakumar Yadav 83, Alzarri Joseph 2/25