Twitter Reactions: Dominant India annihilate West Indies in dead rubber, clinch series 4-1

For the first time in T20I history, all ten wickets were scalped by spinners in the West Indies' innings.

By Chaitanya Prakash

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Team India in the fifth T20i against West Indies
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Team India in the fifth T20i against West Indies. (Photo Source: Twitter)

India subjected West Indies to their third successive defeat in the T20I series after a one-sided 88- run victory in the fifth T20I Lauderhill, Florida, on Sunday, 7th of August. Both sides went into the dead rubber with a host of changes as they rested many of their regular players. India batted first in the game and recorded a handsome total of 188 runs before the Indian spinners sealed another emphatic victory for the Men in Blue.

West Indies made a bewildering move by sending all-rounder Jason Holder to open the innings along with Shamarh Brooks. The move, fizzled out in a whimper as the all-rounder was dismissed for a three-ball duck by Axar Patel in the very first over. The Indian spinner went on to pick another two wickets by the end of the powerplay as the hosts struggled for momentum.

The Caribbean side never looked like chasing down the target from the outset but with skipper Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmeyer in the middle, they had a glimmer of hope, which was extinguished by Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm wrist spinner sent back Pooran in his very first over on his return to the side to pretty much seal the deal for India.

Hetmeyer (56 off 35) continued with his ballistics from the other end but he kept losing partners frequently. Ravi Bishnoi was the latest spinner to torment the hosts as he scalped two wickets in his first over with his trademark googlies. The spin trio of Axar, Bishnoi, and Kuldeep was too hot to handle for the Windies batter on the day as they shared all the ten wickets between them, a first in T20I history.

Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda slay the Caribbean bowlers before a blistering cameo by Hardik Pandya

Earlier in the innings, Hardik Pandya, who was leading the side in the absence of Rohit Sharma, decided to bat first after winning the toss. The Men in Blue started slowly, but after the early dismissal of Ishan Kishan, his opening partner Shreyas Iyer(64 off 40) finally found some form in the shortest format of the game and registered a much-anticipated half-century in a combative second-wicket stand with Deepak Hooda(38 off 25).

But both the set batters departed in the space of eight deliveries as West Indies clawed back their way into the innings. After a few quiet overs, India once again upped the ante, but wickets at regular intervals hindered their chances of reaching the 200-mark, and it was only a late blitz by Pandya (28 off 16) that pushed the Indian total to 188/7 at the end of 20 overs.

Odean Smith was the pick of the Caribbean bowlers as he scalped three wickets in his four overs and completed the crucial run-out of the dangerous Indian skipper.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to India’s triumph:

 

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