Kolkata. After Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant’s half-centuries, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s death-over bowling helped India beat West Indies in the second T20 International match on Friday. They took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after beating the FC by eight runs here. Kohli made 52 off 41 balls while Pant scored an unbeaten 52 off 28 balls. Along with scoring the same runs, both of them also hit the same seven fours and one six each.
Pant shared a 35-ball 76 for the fifth wicket with Venkatesh Iyer (33 off 18 balls, four fours, one six) as India posted a challenging 186 for five when invited to bat first. In reply, West Indies could only manage 178 for three despite a 100-run partnership between Nicholas Pooran (62 off 41 balls, five fours, three sixes) and Rovman Powell (68 not out off 36 balls, four fours, five sixes). . India had earlier defeated West Indies 3-0 in the ODI series.
India vs West Indies 2nd T20 in Kolkata: India beat West Indies by 8 runs to seal the series 2-0 pic.twitter.com/9TQAP5j1YS
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2022
The third and final T20 match between the two teams will be played at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. Both India’s leg-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal (1 for 31) and Ravi Bishnoi (1 for 30) sent openers Kyle Myers (nine) and Brendan King (22) to the pavilion but Pooran kept up the good form. He kept the score board moving by hitting sixes on Harshal Patel and Chahal while Pavel hit sixes on Deepak Chahar and Bishnoi. West Indies needed 63 runs in the last five overs. Powell and Pooran hit Chahar for sixes in the 17th over of the innings. Pooran completed his second consecutive half-century with this six. For this he played 34 balls while Powell reached 50 off 28 balls.
Patel conceded eight runs in the 18th over, which took the figure to 29 runs in 12 balls. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1 for 29) not only conceded four runs in the 19th over but also dismissed Pooran. Powell hit two sixes in Patel’s last over but that only narrowed the margin of defeat. Earlier, Kohli had entered the crease with determination from the beginning. He presented a fine piece of his timing, starting with two fours off spinner Akil Hossain and then hitting a beautiful boundary off Jason Holder in cover. He also welcomed Romerio Shepherd with two fours.
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Rohit Sharma (19 runs off 18 balls) hit a six in this over of Shepherd to take India’s score to 49 for one in the powerplay, but the Indian captain could not take advantage of the life-giving initially and became the first victim of the off-spinner chase. . Brandon King did not make a mistake in taking the catch this time. Chase, who caught Suryakumar Yadav (eight), off his own ball, bowled Kohli out on the turn. Kohli, however, had earlier completed his 30th fifty in T20 Internationals by hitting a six at long-on in the same over.
Kohli could not play freely in front of the spinners towards the end of his innings but Pant and Iyer did not face any such problem. When Kieron Pollard, who was constantly changing the bowling, came to the 15th over, Pant hit him for three fours. He and Iyer hit Holder for sixes and spoiled his bowling analysis. Pant completed his fifty in the last over. But Ishan Kishan could not impress again as an opener. He struggled to score runs and made two runs off 10 balls before being given a simple catch at point off Sheldon Cottrell. (agency)