India, WI share honours after rain washes out decider

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium’s long wait for staging international cricket after two years ended in an anticlimax as rain forced the series-deciding fifth and final T20I between India and the West Indies to be called off in Bengaluru on Saturday, with the five-match series ending at 2-2.

The match was abandoned at 10:16 pm after India had made 118 for 5 in 7.4 overs. But with no possibility of a five-over chase of 84 for the West Indies before the 10:21 pm cut-off, the players soon exchanged hugs and handshakes in the dressing rooms.

The washout denied the West Indies a chance to get their first series win in India since 2002. The visitors, however, could take heart from how they fiercely competed over the last three weeks, first in the ODIs and then in the shortest format.

It was always going to be a close call for a full game to happen given the forecast, though there was some hope in the morning when the probability of rain fell from 70 to 30 per cent. But persistent drizzle through the evening, however, kept the ground staff away from getting the venue ready, leading to a delay in the scheduled toss at 6:30 pm.

The rain finally relented around 8:30 pm, allowing the toss to take place and the match to be reduced to nine overs a side with a 9:15 pm start time. The crowd, which waited patiently for hours, was treated to only a brief burst of action, led by Ishan Kishan’s blistering 30 off 10 balls, laced with three fours and two sixes, and some late hitting from Naman Dhir, who hit an unbeaten 24, before the rain had the final say.

Ground staff cover the field as the fifth T20 international cricket match between India and West Indies called off due to rain at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. AFP

The drizzle, which had resumed midway through India’s innings, grew heavier soon after Shamar Springer cleaned up Tilak Varma in the eighth over, thus forcing the umpires to call for covers to be put on the pitch and square area.

Put into batting first, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar making a return after 1437 days and Shivam Dube included in place of Mayank Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out due to an illness, India were made to work hard early on as Keemo Paul extracted movement with the new ball.

The all-rounder, though, lost his radar briefly, overstepping and then conceding five wides down the leg side in the same over. Abhishek Sharma swung and missed at the free hit, but sent the next ball sailing over deep mid-wicket for six. His stay, however, ended when he flicked the following delivery straight to Shamar Joseph at mid-wicket to depart for six.

Top-ranked T20I batter Kishan then took charge by plundering 24 runs off a wayward Romario Shepherd’s first over.

Shamar Joseph had Kishan (30 off just 10 balls) caught at mid-on off a cleverly disguised slower ball, but Sanju Samson kept the momentum going, his boundary bringing up India’s fastest team fifty in T20Is in just 2.5 overs, before he uppercut a wide ball for six.

Springer, however, sent the off-stump of Samson (16) on a cartwheel ride with his very first delivery, while Shreyas Iyer laboured to 22 off 14 balls, surviving a run-out chance and a dropped catch by Sherfane Rutherford before Paul had him caught at deep mid-wicket on a miscue.

Dhir then provided the late fireworks by smashing 16 off his first three balls – via whipping and lofting Paul for sixes, while thumping him over mid-off for four. He remained unbeaten on 24 off six balls. Paul had figures of 2-34, while Springer returned with 2-17, before rain came again to interrupt the proceedings and eventually had the final say.

Indo-Asian News Service