West Indies defend 150 against India in the first T20I

West Indies defeated India in the first T20I of the 5-match series to make a winning start after losing both Test and ODI series to India. On a slow track, Windies only scored 149 and defended it against the inexperienced Indian side by 4 runs to go 1-0 up.

Image Credits: ESPN Cricinfo

Captain Rovman Powell propelled the Windies with his 48-run knock. He was dropped on 20 off 21 balls while in the next 11 deliveries, he scored 28 runs! Nicholas Pooran's 41-run knock in the middle overs was also crucial for them! With just 15 runs off the final 2 overs, Windies were restricted to 149/6 in 20 overs.

In reply, India lost both their openers cheaply - Ishan Kishan (6 off 9), and Shubman Gill (3 off 9. Tilak Varma (39 off 22) batted well while his 39-run stand gave India a good start. Another 36-run stand between Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson for the 5th wicket got them going but it wasn't enough in the end.

In the end, Windies win the match by 4 runs restricting India to just 145/9 in 20 overs. India's tail seemed too long as West Indies made good use of the home conditions on a slow track to open an account early in the series!  Windies Jason Holder bagged the Player of the Match for his bowling spell of 2/19 from his 4 overs.