India got a reality check in their 200th T20I match by the West Indies, as the hosts defended 149 runs and claimed a four-run triumph on a sluggish pitch at the Brian Lara Stadium.

Windies batted first and posted 149, thanks to the match-defining innings by skipper Rovman Powell (48) and Nicholas Pooran (41). Except for debutant Tilak Varma (39), India’s batting order failed to find concrete answers to the bowling spells of the Men in Maroon - led by Jason Holder (2/19).

Here’s a quick summary.

Tilak unveiled!

Tilak Varma’s stupendous rise as a hard-hitting talent was finally rewarded with a debut cap from stand-in India captain Hardik Pandya. “This is what dreams are made of! Continue putting in the same hard work that got you where you are now. Keep doing this, and you will only keep going upwards in life.” Hardik passed on this message to someone who has kept our smiles strong in the last two editions of the IPL.

KulCha make early inroads

The spin masters broke through the defences of the Windies top-order in the opening eight overs, reducing the hosts to 58/3 in 7.3 overs.

Yuzvendra Chahal trapped Brandon King (28) and Kyle Mayers (1) to get rid of them by LBW within the first three balls of the fifth over. On the other hand, Kuldeep combined with Tilak Varma to dismiss Johnson Charles (3). Our youngster ran 10-15 metres to his left and then dived to take the catch at deep mid-wicket.

Pooran, Powell inject life into Windies’ batting

Nicholas Pooran carried his MLC aura onto the field, chipping in a vital 34-ball 41 as he played through the powerplay and middle overs. His four boundaries (two fours, two sixes) helped the Men in Maroon cross the 50-run mark at the end of six overs, and he would later depart at the start of the 15th over.

Striking at 150, Rovman Powell made a powerful cameo in the death overs with 48 runs in 32 deliveries. His effort was crucial for the Windies, who were close to plotting 150 on the scoreboard.

India hobble to 50

Windies’ Obed McCoy and Akeal Hosein unsettled openers Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill early in our run chase of 150. Ishan saw his purple patch halt as he miscued a loft shot off McCoy toward Rovman Powell at mid-on. Gill, meanwhile, was stumped out.

Aapla Dada Surya (21) and Tilak Varma took the field, carrying India past 50 in seven overs. The latter (Tilak) exhibited his potential with 39 runs in 22 balls. His first two scoring shots were bully-like sixes! 

Wickets keep tumbling

Hardik Pandya (19), Sanju Samson (12) and Axar Patel (13) chipped in with cameos, but it was the Windies bowlers making merry of India’s collapse from 113-5 to 129-7.

Taking it to the end

With the equation reading 21 runs in 12 balls, Arshdeep Singh tried to play the unlikely hero with 12 runs off seven. He would bring down the target to seven needed in two balls but would get run out. The game ended with debutant Mukesh Kumar taking a single off the final delivery.

Brief scores: West Indies 149/6 (Rovman Powell 48, Nicholas Pooran 41; Yuzvendra Chahal 2/24, Arshdeep Singh 2/31) beat India 145/9 (Tilak Varma 39; Jason Holder 2-19, Obed McCoy 2-28) by four runs