Georgetown (Guyana): Tilak Varma (51) struck his maiden T20I half-century in only his second innings as India struggled to a modest 152/7 against West Indies in the 2nd T20I here on Sunday.
Varma, who was India’s leading scorer with 39 off 22 deliveries in the first T10I in Trinidad, came up with another gem of innings as he scored 51 off 41 deliveries after the visitors got off to a poor start, losing two wickets for 18 runs.
Varma held the innings together, coming in at 76/4 and responding with a superb knock in what is only his second outing in T20I cricket. He started cautiously and then played some glorious shots, helping India reach the three-figure mark. His 51 came off 41 deliveries and were studded with five fours and a six.
Romario Shepherd (2-28), Alzarri Joseph (2-28) and Akeal Hosein (2-29) claimed a brace of wickets each as India struggled to cross the 150-run mark after skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bat first.
It was a debatable decision as the Indian batters found the going tough at the start on a pitch that offered early help to the bowlers. The visitors could manage only 34/2 in the powerplay, losing Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav cheaply.
Gill, who hammered Alzari Joseph for a big six, pulling a ball pitched short of length and planting it on the scoreboard off the fourth ball of the third over, was out the very next ball as he flicked across the line to a length delivery by Joseph, got a leading edge and Shimron Hetmyer pouched it quite comfortably.
A few balls later, it became 18/2 for India as Suryakumar Yadav (1) failed to make the most of the chance in his 50th match and was run out for 1, going for a quick single and was caught well short by a direct hit by Kyle Meyers.
Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, India’s top scorer in the first T20I match on Thursday, repaired the innings a bit taking the score past the half-century mark.
Kishan was lucky on the first ball of the match when a defensive prod by him fell just short of Rovman Powell. He hammered Akael Hosein for a big six over deep square leg and once again went over the boundary in the 10th over when he swiped Romario Shepherd for his second six. In between, he struck a boundary each off Alzarri Joseph and Kyle Mayers before he was out for 27, playing all over a delivery by Romario Shepherd and had his off-stump rocked back off the very next delivery after being struck for a six.
India slumped to 60/3 at the midway stage and looked in danger of failing to put up a big score, as they lost Sanju Samson (7) as the team slipped to 76/3 in the 12th over.
Varma, who top-scored for India with 39 off 2 balls in the first T20I, held one end up as he blasted a fine half-century, hitting five fours and a lone six during his 41-ball knock. He reached the milestone of 39 balls as India crossed the 100-run mark.
He started with a boundary from Alzari Joseph and then blasted back-to-back boundaries off Jason Holder in the 11th over, scooped Mayers behind the wicket off Mayers in the eighth over and reverse swept Hosein over deep third man boundary for a four. He enjoyed a life when the long-on fielder ran in from deep midwicket to long-on but could not pouch the tough chance.
Hardik Pandya landed a few lusty blowers in scoring 24 off 18 deliveries but was out in the most improper time in the 18th over, hitting two sixes, as India managed to reach a modest score, failing to accelerate after losing wickets at crucial junctures.
Brief scores: India 152/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 27, Tilak Varma 51, Hardik Pandya 24; Romario Shepherd 2-28, Alzarri Joseph 2-28, Akeal Hosein 2-29) against West Indies.
(IANS)
