Lucknow: Naman Dhir returned the third-best bowling figures by an Indian on T20I debut, claiming 3 for 31, while Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav picked up two wickets apiece as India bowled out West Indies for 171 in the first T20I at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Sherfane Rutherford (56) and Shai Hope (52) led the visitors’ resistance with half-centuries, but India’s bowlers kept striking at regular intervals to wrap up the innings.
Skipper Shai Hope gave West Indies a quick start and seemed in control, especially after he scored 16 runs in the second over against Mayank Yadav. Nevertheless, India responded during the powerplay with the help of Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel, and after Shimron Hetmyer was run out and Rovman Powell was dismissed, the visitors were three men down.
Hope scored a steady 52 and guided the visitors’ recovery, bringing the score to 44/3 at the end of the mandatory powerplay.
Kamil Pooran was the first wicket to fall for 12 before Hetmyer was run out for five, with Powell then dismissed for a duck. The three wickets left West Indies in a spot of bother at 44/3 after six overs.
Hope and Sherfane Rutherford then steadied the innings, putting together an unbeaten 38-run stand to take the visitors to 82/3 at the drinks break. Rutherford was unbeaten on 18, while Hope continued to anchor the innings as West Indies looked to build a platform for a strong finish.
Powell’s early wicket also continued his troubles against Axar, who has now dismissed the West Indies batter twice in T20 matches and seen him score just 17 runs off 13 balls against him.
The fact that Hetmyer had also reached the top of the West Indies list for the most run-outs in T20 matches came about when he left the team. Hetmyer’s seven run-outs compared to Andre Fletcher’s six run-outs at the time.
Axar’s excellent opening spell also earned him a place among India’s leading bowlers for maiden overs in T20Is. His sixth maiden moved him behind only Jasprit Bumrah (13) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (10), while his four-wicket maidens in overs 1-6 put him level with Bumrah and behind Bhuvneshwar’s six.
West Indies lost four wickets in a dramatic six-over passage to slip from 114/4 to 125/8, with India’s bowlers tightening the screws after Shai Hope’s half-century.
Hope brought up his 13th T20I fifty from 36 balls, continuing his rich run of form from the ODI series, but fell immediately after reaching the landmark. Naman Dhir, on debut, claimed the prized wicket as Hope holed out to Axar Patel at deep midwicket for 52, ending a 63-run partnership with Rutherford.
Kuldeep Yadav then struck in successive overs, trapping Roston Chase (5) plumb in front for a short stay before dismissing Matthew Forde (2). Ishan Kishan produced a stunning effort at deep midwicket to complete the latter’s dismissal, running to his left and holding on despite losing his balance.
Romario Shepherd (7) briefly threatened to revive the innings with a six but perished soon after, slicing Dhir’s delivery to Tilak Varma at long-off. Dhir then added his third wicket when Shamar Springer holed out to Axar after smashing the debutant for a maximum.
Dhir finished with impressive figures of 3/31 from four overs, becoming only the third Indian spinner to claim three wickets on T20I debut.
However, Rutherford (56) kept West Indies in the hunt with a brisk half-century, reaching the landmark in just 31 balls. It was his seventh T20I fifty and a vital knock after the visitors lost a flurry of wickets to India’s spinners through the middle overs. He perished soon to a length delivery from Mayank, who got his first wicket of the match.
Windies soon got all out for 171 as Axar Patel clicked his second wicket of the night. Naman Dhir led India’s bowling charge on his T20I debut, claiming an impressive 3-31, while Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with two wickets apiece to restrict West Indies to 171.
Brief scores:
West Indies 171 all out in 19.1 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 56, Shai Hope 52; Naman Dhir 3-31, Axar Patel 2-26) against India
(IANS)
