India started the five-T20I series in West Indies with a 4-run loss in the first match which was played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad on August 3, 2023.
It was a brilliant display by the West Indies team overall, who got the advantage at the start as captain Rovman Powell won the toss and chose to bowl bat first. However, they lost Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles early for single-digit scores.
Brandon King made 28 runs, but the real push to the innings came from Nicholas Pooran (41) and captain Rovman Powell (48) who took the Indian bowlers to cleaners.
Though they looked like passing the 160-run mark, Indian bowlers bounced back and kept them to just 149/6 in 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal were the most successful bowlers for India with two wickets apiece.
In reply, India had a poor start as openers Shubman Gill (3) and Ishan Kishan (6) got out early. But debutant Tilak Varma saved some face for the Men in Blue as he top-scored with 39 runs in 22 balls, getting off the mark in international cricket with two consecutive sixes.
But then, Jason Holder, Obed McCoy, and Romario Shepherd brought West Indies back into the game.
Jason Holder bowled Hardik Pandya for 19, Sanju Samson was run out for 12, and then when it looked like Akshar Patel would take India home, McCoy had him caught for 13 runs. Though Arshdeep Singh hit two fours in the penultimate over from McCoy to give India some hope.
The ask was too much for the tailenders as India managed 145/9 and lost by 4 runs.
As India lost its 8th wicket in the form of Kuldeep Yadav, who was castled by Romario Shepherd, the cameras panned towards the dugout and saw Yuzvendra Chahal walking out at no.10 in the middle.
However, just as he reached the middle, he was called back by captain Hardik Pandya and coach Rahul Dravid.
Interestingly, Mukesh Kumar was already prepared and was standing at the boundary ropes with his pads and helmet on, indicating that the team management intended him to bat at No. 10 instead of Chahal.
Substitute player Umran Malik caught up with Chahal to give him the message and he ran back to the pavilion. But then the umpires called him back since he had stepped onto the playing field already.
The umpires invoked MCC rule 25.2, which states: "The innings of the first two batters, and that of any new batter on the resumption of play after a call of Time, shall commence at the call of Play. At any other time, a batter’s innings shall be considered to have commenced when that batter first steps onto the field of play."
As per the rule, it was too late to make the switch as Chahal had already crossed the boundary ropes and was the legal batter as per laws.
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