The three-match T20I series between India and West Indies is perfectly poised at 1-1 heading into the decider at Mumbai today. India won the first match, chasing 208 in Hyderabad, before West Indies drew level chasing chasing 171 in Thiruvananthapuram.
It’s India who will be under pressure at this point; West Indies will be happy to be where they are given how poor they have been in the format in recent years. They had won only 12 of their last 39 T20Is before the series, and having a chance of winning a series in India will give them confidence going into the next year when the T20 World Cup will be played.
India have some questions to deal with in the upcoming games in the format. Their record batting first is under the scanner; they’ve lost 8 of their last 15 games batting first. It includes five losses in nine games this year.
Virat Kohli has spoken about it quite a few times, but results haven’t improved. That was the case in the second T20I as well, with India losing after scoring 170. The batting is evidently reliant on the top order. If at least one of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli fire, India end up with good totals. But when they don’t, they’re often in trouble.
India made a rare experiment in the top order the previous game, sending Shivam Dube at No. 3. The move worked, as Dube scored his first T20I half-century at good pace. However, it remains to be seen if India continue with that experiment as it means less batting time for Kohli. It also meant Shreyas Iyer was batting out of position – he struggled to hit in the death, as did Ravindra Jadeja, resulting in a below par total for India.
India will be slightly happy with Rishabh Pant’s form in the two games. Although he hasn’t set the stage on fire, he has played two decent hands in the series. A bigger knock will help his confidence.
India’s bowlers struggled for the second game in a row, with West Indies attacking them without much fuss. But more than the bowling, it’s the fielding that is a concern. India dropped three chances in the second T20I, and four in the first game. There were also plenty of misfields, including from the likes of Jadeja. India will have to stop this before it becomes a pattern.
West Indies have issues in their bowling too, particularly the number of extras they are conceding. They’ve given 41 extras in the two matches combined, which says a lot about the lack of discipline. The bowling made a fine comeback after the thrashing in Hyderabad; the death overs in particular was good as they kept India to 170. They also read the pitch well, bowling cutters and slower balls to deny India.
The batting has found the firepower they are known for. Almost all of them have been in the runs in the two games, with Lendl Simmons stepping up with a half-century in the second. They should enjoy batting in Mumbai, known for producing batsmen-friendly surfaces.
