India take 2-1 lead
Suryakumar Yadav's fine knock set up India seven wicket win © AFP
A boundary for Deepak Hooda gets India closer and Pant's whack over midwicket off McCoy for a four finishes the chase. India win by seven wickets with an over to spare. A disciplined performance with the ball, powered by Pandya and Ashwin, was followed by the Suryakumar show as India come up with a good all-round show to take the lead in the series.
Holder gets Pandya
A slower delivery bowled short and Pandya attempts to pull it. But he's early into the shot and gets an edge to the 'keeper to depart for 4. India need 16 off 16.
Suryakumar falls as India close in
Rishabh Pant gets going with a four off McCoy and a six off Hosein. Suryakumar targets Drakes again as whips one to fine-leg for a four. But his innings comes to an end as he tries a fancy sweep but ends up getting a top edge to hand Joseph a catch at fine leg. He departs for a well-made 76 off 44. India are 135/2.
Shreyas departs
He tries to come down the track but Hosein pulls the length back and the batter misses a drive to be out stumped. India are 105/1.
100 up for India
It has come in just the 11th over with Shreyas scoring a boundary off Drakes. In the previous over, Suryakumar lofted a Joseph delivery over mid-off for a six and ended the over by ramping a short ball over the 'keeper's head for a four. India are 104/0 after 11 overs.
Half-century stand and fifty for Surya
Suryakumar gets under a low full from Holder to clear mid-on for a four and then clears the midwicket fence for his second six as the fifty partnership comes up in 36 balls. Holder, though, is not pleased as King was not close to the ropes, and would have been able to take the catch had he stood near the boundary. Suryakumar gets his third six with a sweep off Hosein as he gets to a 26-ball fifty.
Suryakumar powers India's rapid start
Suryakumar ensures Rohit's absence is not felt and he handles the left-arm pacers with aplomb. He has hit three fours off McCoy, two off Drakes and a six off Joseph. India have scored 56 in the powerplay.
Retired hurt
Rohit Sharma is walking off with a back issue apparently.Pulled Alzarri Joseph for a six and then a four but seemed to be struggling soon after. Here comes Shreyas Iyer.
West Indies set India challenging target
Only five conceded by Arshdeep in the 18th over, although he puts down a return catch to give Hetmyer a reprieve. The left-hander then puts away Avesh's deliveries for two sixes in the 19th over, with 17 coming off it. Avesh finishes with 0-47 from his three overs. Arshdeep is hit for two fours by Powell in the final over but he comes back well, keeping it to only 10 runs in the over, along with the wicket of Powell while Hetmyer is run out. West Indies finish with 164/5.
Mayers falls
Arshdeep, brought back into the attack, goes for 14 in the 16th over, with Mayers scoring a four and Rovman Powell striking a six. Bhuvneshwar also gets hit for a six by Mayers but the left-hander mis-hits one as Pant takes a catch to end a fine innings. Mayers departs for 73 off 50. West Indies are 132/3 after 17 overs, with Bhuvneshwar finishing with 2-35.
Bhuvneshwar strikes to end half-century stand
Mayers targets Avesh, who ends up being hit for three fours in the 14th over, with 15 coming off it. Pooran hits a six off Bhuvneshwar but a short ball from the bowlers results in the downfall of the WI captain, who edges behind after going for a pull. West Indies are 107/2 in the 15th over.
Pandya, Ashwin keep WI in check despite Mayers fifty
Pooran breaks the rut of boundaries by reverse-sweeping Ashwin for a four, while Mayers gets a thick edge off Pandya which travels to the ropes. But only six off Ashwin's third over and five plus a leg-bye in Pandya's final over. He finishes with fine figures of 1 for 19. Mayers strikes a six off Ashwin to get to a 38-ball fifty but only seven off the over as Ashwin finishes with 0 for 26 from his four overs. West Indies are 84/1 after 13.
Tight overs
Ashwin gives away only two runs in the ninth over while Pandya concedes only two in the 10th as India do a fine job of applying the brakes. West Indies are 65/1 after 10 overs.
Hardik strikes to end half-century opening stand
Mayers and King score a boundary apiece off Ashwin's first over as the opening stand crosses 50. But it comes to an end in the next over as King gets an inside edge onto the stumps off a slower ball from Hardik. West Indies are 57/1 in the eighth over.
West Indies have a decent powerplay
Mayers also strikes a six over midwicket off Hardik Pandya. King slows down as a touch ending the powerplay on 15 off 17 despite executing a straight drive for a four off Arshdeep Singh. West Indies manage 45 in the first six overs.
WI pick up pace after slow start
Hooda opens the attack starts with an economical over, conceding only one. Kings puts away a short delivery from Bhuvneshwar for a four but only six runs off the second over as India continue to keep it tight. Having struggled to get off the mark, Mayers strikes a short ball from Avesh wide of midwicket for a four for his first runs. Another short ball is sent over the ropes by Mayers in the same over as the bowler concedes 15 in the over. Bhuvnenshwar ends up being hit for two fours by Mayers while India also lose a review after Pant forces Rohit to go upstairs for a caught-behind decision. West Indies are 32/0 after 4 overs.
Toss and teams
Rohit Sharma wins the toss and opts to bowl. India decide to rest Ravindra Jadeja for this game and bring in Deepak Hooda in his place. West Indies also make one change - Dominic Drakes, another left-arm seamer, replaces Odean Smith.
West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Devon Thomas (wk), Rovman Powell, Dominic Drakes, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh
Build-up:
It took a while for the kits to reach the teams, leading to a delayed start to the second T20I. When the match eventually got underway, it was West Indies and Obed McCoy who were all over India, with the left-arm pacer registering a career-best 6 for 17 - best in T20Is for West Indies and best in T20Is against India. Rohit Sharma was quick to admit that the Indian batters weren't up to the mark, posting only 138 which West Indies managed to chase down in the final over.
There were a few experiments by India, with Bhuvneshwar not bowling in the death as India wanted to see how the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan perform in pressure situations. Arshdeep did rather well, finishing with 1 for 26 in his quota of 4 overs but Avesh had an expensive outing, ending up with 1 for 31 in 2.2 overs, including 11 in the final over.
It remains to be seen if Avesh is persisted with or India bring in someone like Harshal Patel. Shreyas Iyer has also been underwhelming with the bat and India have options like Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson should they look at any change in the batting order. Meanwhile, West Indies would be quite relieved with the victory, having lost a few close games. They might stick to the same eleven that won them the match. With the second T20I getting off to a late start, the start time of the third game was also pushed to 12:00 PM Local Time to ensure more rest to the players.
Also read: Obed McCoy shines a light on India's left-armer vulnerabilities - By Kritika Naidu