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Tilak Varma made a strong impression on his international debut with a splendid catch to dismiss Johnson Charles in the first T20I between India and West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
West Indies elected to bat first after winning the toss and fell in trouble inside the powerplay following Yuzvendra Chahal's twin strikes in the fifth over. The returning, in-form Nicholas Pooran restored a bit of balance with his instant counter attack.
Kuldeep Yadav was the last of three Indian spinners to be introduced into the attack. The left-arm wrist spinner struck immediately, challenging Johnson Charles to take him on with a flighted delivery on the stumps.
The batter misjudged the slog sweep off the googly and had the task of clearing the leg-side boundary against the wind. Tilak Varma, stationed in the deep, covered a great deal of distance to get to the ball. He kept his eye on the ball and wrapped his sprint by claiming the catch with a huge final stretch.
Have a look at the catch right here:
At the time of writing, West Indies are placed at 63-3 after nine overs. Skipper Rovman Powell has come to the crease after Charles' dismissal while Pooran continues to attack from the other end.
Tilak Varma and Mukesh Kumar are the debutants for Team India in the first T20I
Tilak Varma earned his maiden national call-up for the T20I series against the West Indies on the back of an impressive 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Mumbai Indians (MI). He scored 343 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 164.11.
Varma has been thrust into the action straight away with a maiden cap in the first T20I. Apart from Varma, right-arm pacer Mukesh Kumar is also making his T20I debut. He already made his Test and ODI debut during the ongoing tour of the Caribbean.
Skipper Hardik Pandya admitted during the toss that the team does have one eye on the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will be held in the West Indies and the USA. He said:
"That was the whole plan for this tour as well. We might be coming here to play the World Cup. Some players might get a chance to play here. By the time we come here next time, we'll be prepared."
How much will the West Indies post in the first innings of the series opener in Trinidad? Let us know what you think.
