Skipper Virat Kohli presented a masterclass of batsmanship with an unbeaten 50-ball 94 as India registered their highest ever successful run-chase in T20 internationals to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series against West Indies on Friday (December 6) in Hyderabad. Primarily thanks to Kohli’s heroics and a supporting act by KL Rahul (62 off 40) the hosts chased down 208 with eight balls and six wickets to spare. In the process, the Indian captain also created a record of scoring the most number of the fifties in T20Is, going past Rohit Sharma’s 22 T20I half-centuries.
Aiming to chase down a record total, Rahul provided India brisk start with three crisp boundaries off Jason Holder in the second over of the innings. However soon at the other end, Rohit Sharma got out, which brought Kohli at the crease in the fourth over.
Coming out after taking a break in the T20Is against Bangladesh, initially, the Indian captain failed to get going as a number of inside edges and top edges flew off his bat but thankfully for his team, all those landed safely. He was scoring run-a-ball for the first 15 deliveries of his innings. With the asking rate climbing, Rahul kept the momentum going for India with big shots to the fence. He reaped the rewards of his good form with the bat in his state team Karnataka’s title-winning run in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (domestic T20 tournament) and scored his seventh half-century in T20Is.
However after left-arm spinner, Khary Pierre got Rahul out in the 14th over, Rishabh Pant took charge straightway and hit the first ball for a massive six over mid-wicket. By that time Kohli also found his composure back and started punishing the Windies bowlers at corner of the ground with his trademark lofted drives and the wristy flicks off his pads. His fifty was scored in 35 balls and there was no stopping of the run-flow of Kohli’s bat.
In the end, despite losing the wickets of Pant and Shreyas Iyer cheaply, India went to achieve the winning target with hardly any discomfort whatsoever.
Earlier losing the toss and batting first, West Indies batsmen came out in all guns blazing. Evin Lewis started the innings with a bang hitting a boundary and a six off the first over bowled by Washington Sundar. Though his partner Lendl Simmons got out early but the southpaw continued his attacking approach with Brandon King.
Later when Lewis was removed by Sundar, it was Shimron Hetmyer’s turn to take over the proceedings. He flayed the Indian bowlers to all parts of the field racing to his maiden T20I fifty off 35 balls and got support from skipper Kieron Pollard at the other end. The duo started hitting the bowling at will and West Indies were threatening to post 220-230.
However, Yuzvendra Chahal returned to the attack in the 18th over to remove the set duo, which gave Kohli and his team some breathing space. But Jason Holder’s electrifying cameo (24* off 9) took the score past 200-run mark, which at the halfway stage seemed more than enough.
Rest, as they say, is history.
Brief Scores:
India 209/4 in 18.4 overs (Kohli 94*, Rahul 62; Pierre 2 for 44) beat West Indies 207/5 in 20 overs (Hetmyer 56, Lewis 40; Chahal 2 for 36) by six wickets.
Player of the match: Virat Kohli