Simmons stars as Windies level series with comprehensive 8-wicket win
West Indies’ Lendl Simmons in action against India during their second Twenty20I match in Thiruvanathapuram on Sunday. Associated Press
The win helps them level the three-match series 1-1.
West Indies were helped significantly by misfields and dropped catches by the hosts. Washington Sundar’s nightmarish run in the field continued when he dropped a sitter and gave Simmons a lifeline while he was on six off 10 balls in the fifth over that was bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Two balls later, Simmons’ opening partner Evin Lewis was saved when Rishabh Pant was wrong footed. The wicketkeeper did well to get to the ball after changing direction but it was a drop nonetheless. Lewis and Simmons went on to put an opening stand of 73 runs, which remained the West Indies’ best partnership of the match.
Sundar managed to get the breakthrough with some help from steadfast glovework by Rishabh Pant which got Lewis stumped on 40. Shimron Hetmyer came in and was starting to tee off when he was dismissed thanks to a screamer of a catch by Virat Kohli on the boundary line. However, that was the last bit of joy for the hosts as Nicholas Pooran came in and took the visitors home.
Earlier, Shivam Dube’s masterful 54 off 30 balls was one of the chief reasons why India managed to post 170/7. Shivam Dube was on Sunday promoted to number three for India’s second T20I against the West Indies and he repaid the faith shown in him by hitting a maiden international fifty.
On Sunday, he replaced opener KL Rahul in the fourth over as India were put to bat first by the West Indies at Thiruvananthapuram’s Greenfield International stadium. He got a top edge off Jason Holder in the next over but fortunately for him, it only went over the third man boundary for a four.
He then hit a six and a four off Holder in the eighth over. Dube then went after Kieron Pollard in what was a disastrous ninth over from the West Indies captain. Pollard bowled three wides and was hit for three sixes by Dube, two of them back to back as the 26-year-old raced to 47 off 24 balls.
Kohli, who replaced Rohit, decided to play second fiddle as Dube ran a single to raise his maiden international fifty off the last ball of the 10th over. After his dismissal, Kesrick Williams and Sheldon Cottrell led the way in stopping the Indians from crossing 200. The series now moves to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where the decisive final T20I will be played on Dec.11.
Indo-Asian News Service
Final scoreboard in the 2nd India-West Indies T20I in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday:
India
R Sharma b Holder 15
KL Rahul c Hetmyer b Pierre 11
S Dube c Hetmyer b Walsh 54
V Kohli c Simmons b Williams 19
R Pant not out 33
S Iyer c King b Walsh 10
R Jadeja b Williams 9
W Sundar c & b Cottrell 0
D Chahar not out 1
Total (7 wickets, 20 overs) 170
Bowling: Cottrell 4-0-27-1 (3w), Pierre 2-0-11-1, Holder 4-0-42-1, Williams 4-0-30-2 (3w, 2nb), Pollard 2-0-29-0 (3w), Walsh 4-0-28-2
West Indies (target 171)
L Simmons not out 67
E Lewis st Pant b Sundar 40
S Hetmyer c Kohli b Jadeja 23
N Pooran not out 38
Extras (nb1, w4) 5
Total (2 wickets, 18.3 overs) 173
Bowling: Chahar 3.3-0-35-0 (2w), Kumar 4-0-36-0, Sundar 4-0-26-1 (1w), Chahal 3-0-36-0 (1w), Dube 2-0-18-0 (1nb), Jadeja 2-0-22-1
Result: West Indies beat India by 8 wickets
Series: Three-match series level at 1-1
