After India’s comprehensive win in the Test series, they could have been considered the favourites going into the T20I series. However, the West Indies are the World Twenty20 Champions and are a formidable force in this format of the game.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field. The West Indies opening batsmen went after the bowling from the word go taking the attack to the Indian new ball bowlers. They raced to 46 off the first 4 overs and India were on the back foot. Johnson Charles raced to his fifty off just 20 balls and West Indies reached their 100 in just the 8th over. One’s heart goes out to Stuart Binny,he didn’t get a chance to play in the Test series and when he finally made it into India’s playing XI, he was hit for 5 sixes in an over by Evin Lewis. He conceded 32 runs in the only over he bowled and was promptly taken out of the attack.

Lewis reached his century off 48 balls before he was caught by Ravichandran Ashwin off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. At one stage the West Indies looked like getting to 270 which would have put the game beyond the reach of India. However, India came back well in the last 4 overs successfully executing a lot of yorkers to restrict West Indies to 245/6 off their stipulated 20 overs. Jasprit Bumrah went for 27 runs in his first two overs but came back strongly in his final two overs claiming the wickets of Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons with well executed yorkers. Bumrah’s final bowling analysis was 4-0-47-2. Pollard scored 22 off 15 balls with two huge sixes. At the halfway stage of the innings even the most ardent of Indian fans would not have been optimistic about India’s chances. For India to have any chance of victory they needed to get off to a brisk start and capitalise on the field restrictions in the first 6 overs.

Rohit Sharma showed what a class act he is by striking Badree for 3 fours in the 2nd over and showed the opposition that India were not overawed by the huge score they were facing. India suffered a setback when Ajinkya Rahane was brilliantly caught by Dwayne Bravo at third man off the bowling of Andre Russel for 7. Kohli played a loose shot and was caught by the keeper off the bowling of Bravo for 16. KL Rahul came to the crease and played sensibly without allowing the required run rate to escalate. Rohit Sharma showed why he is one of the most highly rated players in this format by lofting Sunil Narine for 2 consecutive sixes, to keep India in the hunt. However, he was caught by Johnson off the bowling of Kieron Pollard scoring a brisk 62 off just 28 balls. Pollard took the important wicket of Sharma conceding 30 runs in his 3 overs. Rohit has now scored 954 runs as an opener for India in T20Is which is an Indian record. The skipper Dhoni was the next man in and he was content to play second fiddle to KL Rahul for a while.

India needed 53 runs off the last 4 overs and the 17th over was bowled by Russell. Dhoni struck him for 2 huge sixes and Rahul also cleared the ropes off the last ball to bring the equation to 33 of the last 3 overs. India needed 23 off the last 10 balls and Rahul struck Russell for a six and a four of consecutive deliveries to put India in the driver’s seat. KL Rahul reached his century off 46 balls and India looked on course for victory.
India needed 8 runs off the last over and Dhoni edged the first ball straight to Marlon Samuels at short third man who dropped a sitter. Bravo bowled a great final over trying all his variations without giving the batsmen the opportunity to find the boundary. India needed 2 runs off the last ball and Dhoni sliced a drive straight to Samuels at short third man and this time Samuels held on to the catch and West Indies had won the match by the narrowest of margins. Rahul was unbeaten on 110.

The victory by 1 run was their fourth victory over India in T20Is and even though Indian fans would be heartbroken by the loss, they would console themselves that they witnessed a great game of cricket.
Evin Lewis was adjudged the Man of the Match for his century. All cricket fans will hope that the second T20I will produce an equally exciting contest.