Pooran blasts West Indies to 2-0 lead over India

West Indies clinched another thrilling victory over team India to take a 2-0 series lead in Guyana, beating the Men in Blue by two wickets at the Providence Stadium on Sunday. After restricting India to 152 for 7, Nicholas Pooran led the hosts in their reply with a dazzling half-century before tail-enders Alzarri Joseph and Akeal Hosein took them over the line in the nick of time.

On a slow pitch offering generous turn to the spinners, India got off to another poor start with the bat. Shubman Gill suffered his second failure in two innings, miscuing one to deep backward point in the third over before Suryakumar Yadav was run out by a Kyle Mayers direct hit to depart for 1.

The Mumbai Indians pair of Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma led India’s recovery, adding a 42-run stand of 36 balls. But the visitors continued to lose wickets through the middle to derail their efforts. Ishan Kishan was cleaned up a fantastic delivery from Romario Shepherd, while Akeal Hosein outfoxed Sanju Samson to leave India reeling at 76 for 4.

Tilak Varma got to his maiden T20I fifty to give the visitors the platform to post a respectable score but holed out just as he reached his half-century while looking to take on the left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein. The West Indies managed to strike a series of crucial blows at the death to limit India’s total, dismissing Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel in quick succession, but Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh combined to add 13 off the final over to take the visitors past 150.

The West Indies stuttered in response, with Hardik Pandya striking twice in the first over to remove Brandon King and Johnson Charles. However, Nicholas Pooran didn’t take long to turn the tables on the Men in Blue, with the left-hander teeing off inside the powerplay. Pooran smashed Pandya and Mukesh Kumar for a flurry of boundaries before creaming 18 runs off the final over of the powerplay from Ravi Bishnoi.

The number three took the West Indies to 61/3 in six overs and continued his charge through the middle, bringing up a 29-ball half-century to put the hosts on course for victory. The Men in Maroon were in cruise control at 126 for 4, needing 27 more off 37 deliveries.

However, Pooran’s dismissal caused a late wobble, with the hosts losing four wickets in the space of 13 deliveries before Alzarri Joseph and Akeal Hosein steadied the ship from 129 for 8 and added 26 to see the West Indies home with seven balls to spare.