
On Monday, Team India was defeated by West Indies by five wickets in the second T20I of the series in Basseterre. In a match that was delayed twice due to luggage delays, India batted first and were bowled out for 138; the bowlers then put in a valiant effort to keep the visitors in the game, but eventually succumbed in the final over. The Windies’ star was Obed McCoy, who took a brilliant six-wicket haul before opener Brandon King scored a valiant 68 and Devon Thomas remained unbeaten on 31 off 19 deliveries to lead the Windies to victory.
When Rohit Sharma bowled to Arshdeep Singh, the home team needed 16 runs off the final two overs. The left-handed pacer bowled a stunning over, conceding only six runs and taking the crucial wicket of Rovman Powell. While most fans expected Rohit to bowl the final over to Bhuvneshwar Kumar (who had two overs remaining), the India captain surprised everyone by going with an inexperienced Avesh Khan.
The gamble didn’t pay off, as Avesh bowled a no-ball first-up and then gave up a six off the first legitimate ball of the over. Devon Thomas smashed a back-of-a-length delivery from the India youngster for a four to end the match.
Following the game, Rohit explained why he didn’t go with the more experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the final over.
“We are aware of what Bhuvi does for us; he has been doing so for many years.” “You’ll never know unless you give guys like Avesh and Arshdeep a chance,” Rohit said.
“But it’s only one game.” They have the skills and talent; all they need is someone to believe in them. I am extremely proud of the bowlers and the entire team. Targets like these can be reached in 13-14 overs, but we dragged it out to the last over. “I thought the guys executed the plans well, and I was really pleased with the way the guys bowled,” the Indian captain added.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded 12 runs in his two overs, but Avesh was costly, conceding 31 runs in 2.2 overs despite taking the crucial wicket of Brandon King.