As a thrilling encounter was expected to sweep U.S. and the cricketing fans in India and West Indies, rain has for the time being played spoil sport, in the second and final Twenty20 worldwide (T20I), at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida on Sunday.
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With KL Rahuls’ maiden T20 hundred which came off just 46 balls and Rohit Sharma’s brilliant innings of 62 from 28 balls put India in an excellent position to win this game. Requiring just tow off the last ball, but the the soft dismissal of Dhoni cost the match.
I always want to get that first win as captain, I know it was fantastic and I think that was one of the better T20 games I have ever been a part of, and it was a fantastic spectacle.
Rohit Sharma (10 not out) started the Indian chase with a six in the third delivery but after reaching 15 for naught in two overs, rain played spoilsport with no further play possible.
The series was organized by the WICB and the BCCI with an eye on popularizing the sport in the United States of America and giving fans in this part of the world an opportunity to catch two of the world’s best teams in the 20-over format. On the other hand, Narine, the most experienced bowler in the Caribbean T20 setup, with 241 wickets in 191 games, will be looking to give it a rip against the Indians too.
The likes of Ashwin, Jadeja, Kumar and Shami failed to make the impact. Dhawan can come in for Rahane. West Indies had set India a target of 246 to win.
A modest eight runs were required as Bravo collected the ball to bowl the last six deliveries of a pulsating contest.
West Indies won the two match series one-nil after their narrow one run win in the opening fixture on Saturday.
Hard-hitting opener Evin Lewis earlier announced himself with a 48-ball century in just his second worldwide.
Asked about the likely impact of the kind of dramatic finish in the T20I match, Dhoni said, “It is incredible for the spectators but tough for the bowlers and batsmen”.
Meanwhile, there is the possibility that Gayle will return to the squad after missing the first t20 match due to sickness. They made 100 runs less than they did in the previous match and it really looked like the chase was going to be a breeze for the power packed Indian line-up.
Indian captain Dhoni’s decision to insert the opposition seemed to have backfired as the West Indies batsmen rained 13 fours and 21 sixes on a flat pitch at Lauderhill ground.
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Charles’s innings featured six fours and seven sixes, and when he fell in the 10th over, the West Indies was well-placed at 126 for one.
