It was a big night at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where two teams with a massive following engaged in battle for a place in the final of the World T20. The one factor which united India and West Indies was that both arrived into the match having been hampered by injuries.
While Yuvraj Singh was not exactly setting the stage on fire, he was chipping in with useful cameos when India needed them. His replacement, Manish Pandey had not played any competitive cricket since his match-winning century against Australia in January.
But, he found himself into the playing eleven straightaway even as Ajinkya Rahane came in for the out of form Shikhar Dhawan. Meanwhile, Lendl Simmons replaced the injured Andre Fletcher and Chris Gayle slotted back in for the Caribbean side.
Darren Sammy won a crucial toss on a batting beauty and predictably opted to chase due to the dew factor. Riding on Virat Kohli‘s impeccable knock, India reached 192. Despite losing a couple of early wickets, the West Indies stuck to their task and Lendl Simmons helped them overhaul the target to enter into the finals.
Let us take a look at the five most memorable moments from the engrossing encounter in chronological order.
#1 – Rohit gets India off to a flier
5, 10, 18 and 12 have been Rohit Sharma’s scores so far in the tournament. With a new opening partner by his side, he showed semblance of returning back to form at his home ground.
Taking on the role of aggressor, Rohit summed up the friendly batting pitch and began to pelt the West Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground. It was just the impetus that India needed at the start of the innings.
The stylish opener warmed up with an effortless pick up shot off Carlos Brathwaite. When Suleimann Benn was introduced into the attack, Rohit was up to it and dispatched the tall left-arm spinner for consecutive boundaries.
However, it was Andre Russell's inconsistent over which helped the Indians really break the shackles. Rohit plundered 20 runs from the final over of the Power Play which also included a free-hit to set a solid foundation for the middle-order batsmen.
#2 – Miserly Badree shows his prowess
There is a reason why Samuel Badree is the number one ranked bowler in T20Is. Not a leg-spinner in the classical mould, he keeps things tight with a combination of impeccable line and unwavering accuracy.
He was at it again on a typical batting pitch by applying the pressure on some high-quality batsmen. A regular operator in the difficult stages of an innings, Badree took the new-ball from the other end and started with a couple of economical overs.
The 35-year old returned by picking up the key wicket of Rohit Sharma. The elegant batsman was into his groove and looking to build a trademark innings until Badree trapped him in front with a straighter delivery.
Despite Ajinkya Rahane’s best attempts to take him on, the wrist-spinner proved to be too difficult to negotiate as the run-rate was kept in check.
#3 – Kohli takes center stage again
Virat Kohli’s T20I record is mind-boggling to say the least and he is to the format what Bradman was to Test cricket. After single-handedly carrying India to the semi-finals, the 27-year old’s appetite for runs was not yet met.
But, he began rather shakily as West Indies had a golden opportunity to send him back early. Facing a free-hit, Kohli was deceived by a slower yorker from Dwayne Bravo and tried to sneak in a non-existent single. However, Denesh Ramdin missed the stumps narrowly and Bravo too had his chance.
From then on, he was up and running as the West Indies bowlers were put to test . Kohli pierced the gaps in a clinical fashion and ran like the wind to convert ones into twos.
During the end overs, the run-machine imposed himself upon the bowling attack by unleashing a wide array of strokes. Some of the shots defied belief as Kohli towered above everyone to take his team to a fighting total.
#4 – Indian pacers strike early
No total is safe when someone like Chris Gayle gets going. On an important night, the West Indies were banking upon the destructive opener to give them a frenetic start. The Indian bowlers were aware that the margin for error was very low.
Surprisingly, Dhoni gave the ball to his seamers instead of pitting Ashwin against the 36-year old batsman. Bumrah repaid his skipper’s faith and bowled a spectacular over by breaching Gayle’s defense with late-swing.
Ashish Nehra sustained the pressure by allowing the new-ball to swing under lights. Soon, he got his reward as Marlon Samuels was done in by the change of pace and lobbed a simple catch to Rahane.
Both the fast bowlers had begun well as the West Indies were dealt a couple of significant blows.
#5 – Simmons leads West Indies to the final
When Ravichandran Ashwin induced an outside edge off Lendl Simmons and Bumrah completed the catch, West Indies seemed down and out. However, the third umpire found that the off-spinner had overstepped and Simmons was reprieved.
Alongside Johnson Charles, he went on to rub salt into India’s wounds by timing the ball beautifully and bringing down the required run-rate. With the dew taking effect, Ravindra Jadeja was struggling to grip the ball and bowled quite a few loose deliveries.
Simmons was once again offered another life as Hardik Pandya could not keep his feet behind the line. From that moment on, the match was going only one way as he batted with authority to take the West Indies to the summit clash.
Meanwhile, the Indians were left to rue the missed chances and their dream was over.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
