India failed to defend a massive score of 249 runs in the Ranchi T20I.
India succumbed to a six-wicket defeat in the second T20I match against the West Indies at JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi on Friday (October 9).
Invited to bat first, the hosts posted a massive 249/5 in 20 overs. Sanju Samson top-scored with a blistering 82 off 41 balls (9 fours, 4 sixes), supported by Tilak Varma (44* off 18), Ishan Kishan (43 off 22), and Shreyas Iyer (40 off 18).
Despite young Indian pacer Mayank Yadav striking twice in the very first over and reducing the visitors to 58/3 in the powerplay, the West Indies pulled off a historic chase.
Caribbean skipper Shai Hope smashed a spectacular, unbeaten 102 off 45 balls, anchoring a flawless counter-attack. He put together a ruthless 120-run partnership with Sherfane Rutherford, who blazed 84 runs off just 37 deliveries. The visitors crossed the line at 252/4 in 18.3 overs.
Reflecting on the match, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar strongly criticized India's bowling management, explicitly stating that captain Shreyas should have handed the 17th over to either Mayank or Arshdeep Singh, rather than wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Kuldeep’s 17th over turned out to be the ultimate turning point of the match, as he was hammered for 24 runs—including three sixes, a four, and a wide. This explosive over dissolved India's grip on the match, shifting the momentum completely to the West Indies.
“Definitely! I would have gone with either Arshdeep or Mayank (in the 17th over). Yes, Arshdeep went for plenty in his final over (18th over), but Mayank had struck the early blows," Gavaskar said while speaking on JioStar.
When the 17th over was given to Kuldeep, Mayank still had one over left in his quota. Gavaskar argued that even though Mayank's economy rate hovered around 12 an over, the West Indies needed an even higher run rate at that stage. A wicket from Mayank would have thrown the incoming batters off-balance and forced the tourists onto the back foot.
“Of the wickets that had fallen, Mayank had taken three. His economy rate was about 12 an over and at that stage, the West Indies needed more than that. So, if he had taken a wicket and sometimes, when the game is going in your favour, who knows, you would have got a wicket even if it hadn’t been off a great ball," he added.
Gavaskar further pointed out that introducing Shivam Dube in the 9th over was a mistake. He noted that Kuldeep should have been brought into the attack much earlier when the West Indies batters were still trying to get their eye in, rather than saving his spin for the high-pressure death overs.
“And once you get a wicket, suddenly, the opposition is on the back foot. A new batter has to come in. So, maybe that could have been tried. For me, I think giving Shivam Dube the ball in that ninth over wasn’t exactly what was required at that stage," he remarked.
With this result, the five-match T20I series currently stands level at 1-1. The third T20I will be played in Indore on Sunday (October 11).