Top 5 T20Is of the year 2016

#4 India vs West Indies, Florida

KL Rahul’s century went in vain as West Indies clinch a last ball thriller

With a motive of promoting cricket in the USA, WICB and BCCI agreed to play two T20I matches at Lauderhill in Florida. The fans in the US had an excellent time when the legends of the game played three T20I matches across the country last year. This year, they had a chance to get a glimpse of modern day legends like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Dwayne Bravo.

World champions West Indies took on MS Dhoni’s India in two T20Is and the Indian fans will not forget the first match anytime soon. After choosing to field first, the Indian bowlers were smashed all over the ground as Windies openers Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis put on 126 for the first wicket before Charles departed for 79. Lewis went on to score a century and cameos from the likes of Andre Russell, Keiron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite took them to a mammoth 245-6 in 20 overs. India were not only chasing the target of 246, but they were also in line to get into the history books by chasing down the highest total in any T20 match.

It was a tough task for MS Dhoni’s men as West Indies were filled with world class bowlers like Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree and Dwayne Bravo. Opener Rohit Sharma gave India a flying start but the Indians lost the crucial wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli inside the first five overs with the scorecard reading 48. It was when KL Rahul joined Rohit at the crease that the duo took the attack to the opposition.

They put on an 89-run partnership in just 7.1 overs before Pollard dismissed Rohit for 62. Rahul too charge and smashed the Windies bowlers all over the park and reached his maiden T20I ton off just 46 balls. In the other end, skipper Dhoni weaved his magic and put his team on the brink of victory. With just seven needed off the last over bowled by Bravo and Dhoni in the crease, it looked like a cakewalk for the Indians.

Samuels dropped a sitter off the very first ball to give a lifeline to India’s skipper. The Indians managed just five runs off the first five balls and with two needed off the last ball, Dhoni top-edged the ball straight to Samuels at third man and this time, the Jamaican made no mistake as he grabbed the ball and gave his team a narrow one-run win. Rahul was left stranded on 110 off just 51 balls.