India slipped behind 2-0 in the 5-match T20I series against West Indies following their defeat in the 2nd T20I held in Guyana on Sunday, August 6th. This now means that the Indian team will have to win the remaining 3 matches to win the series.
Meanwhile former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa expressed his thoughts after the match, pointing out that India’s limited exposure beyond the Indian Premier League (IPL) is negatively impacting their performance in foreign conditions.
Uthappa emphasized that players like Nicholas Pooran possess extensive familiarity with India’s bowlers due to their participation in the IPL, which isn’t the case for the Indian counterparts.
“I believe that the experience gained from participating in the IPL is a factor that India doesn’t have the advantage of, particularly during ICC tournaments. This is because we don’t engage in other international leagues around the globe,” said Uthappa.
Although acknowledging the protective role of restricting play to India in preserving the IPL’s brand, Uthappa also highlighted that the absence of exposure to foreign conditions does pose challenges for a youthful team like this one.
“While it’s true that this approach helps safeguard the IPL’s brand, it does come at a cost in the context of ICC events. The experienced players from other teams hold an edge over our Indian bowlers during bilateral series or ICC tournaments,” added Uthappa.
“They’ve had extensive exposure facing our bowlers in practice sessions and matches within the IPL over the span of several years. Consequently, they possess significant insights into the bowlers’ strategies and the batters’ techniques, which gives them a considerable amount of information to work with,” he added.
Winning the toss, India chose to bat first, managing to score 152 for seven. Despite their effort, Indian captain Hardik Pandya expressed dissatisfaction with the batting performance, considering it below the desired standard of achieving a score exceeding 160.
In reply, West Indies demonstrated their batting prowess, notably through captain Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran. Pooran’s aggressive innings guided West Indies to the target, including a remarkable six that cleared the long-on boundary and exited the ground. His display earned him his 10th T20I half-century.
Nonetheless, the match had its share of tense moments. West Indies went from 126/4 to 129/8, needing 24 runs from 24 balls. India’s Yuzvendra Chahal played a crucial role by taking 2 wickets in a single over.
The turning point occurred when Akeal Hosein and Alzarri Joseph formed an unbroken partnership of 26 runs, pushing West Indies to 155-8 in 18.5 overs. Their collaboration, along with Hosein’s all-round contribution, played a pivotal role in securing West Indies’ victory with seven balls to spare.
