India vs West Indies - Middle-order still a concern - India’s report card of 2nd T20I

Batting first, India scored a challenging 167 for five and then had West Indies in all sorts of trouble at 98 for four in the 16th over when lightning and thundershowers struck. The Duckworth-Lewis par score at that point was 120, and West Indies were 22 runs behind

Rohit Sharma’s brilliant half-century and Krunal Pandya’s all-round performance led India to a 22-run win via DLS method against West Indies in the 2nd T20I at Florida on Sunday. The victory meant India won the three-match T20I series with one match to spare.

Rishabh Pant has been disappointing in the two T20Is so far. (Action Images via Reuters)

Batting first, India scored a challenging 167 for five and then had West Indies in all sorts of trouble at 98 for four in the 16th over when lightning and thundershowers struck. The Duckworth-Lewis par score at that point was 120, and West Indies were 22 runs behind

Rohit Sharma - 9/10; Verdict: Excellent

Rohit Sharma top-scored with 67 off 51 balls and set India up for a good total. During his knock, Rohit became T20 internationals’ most prolific six-hitter, going past Chris Gayle with 106 maximums. He struck six fours and three sixes in the match. India were off to a quick start as they crossed 50 in the seventh over, with Rohit doing the bulk of scoring.

Shikhar Dhawan - 6/10; Verdict: Good

Dhawan looked in good touch till the time he was at the crease. He complemented Rohit shot for shot and gave India a brilliant start after Kohli opted to bat first. He scored 23 off 16 balls before losing his wicket to Keemp Paul.

Virat Kohli - 6/10; Verdict: Good

It looks like, the big scores have decided to keep Virat Kohli waiting for some time. He once again got off to a very good start, looked comfortable in the middle but was castled by Sheldon Cottrell just as he was looking to up the ante. He scored 28 off 23 balls.

Rishabh Pant - 2/10; Verdict: Poor

So much has been said and written about Rishabh Pant, but now the young man really needs to step up and make these chances count. Pant once again looked to play a high-risk shot early on in his innings and ended up providing a simple catch to third man for 4. Pant has to put a bigger price on his wicket if India are to find a solution to their middle-order woes.

Manish Pandey - 4/10; Verdict: Average

It would be harsh to criticize Manish Pandey for Sunday’s innings. He is a sort of batsman who needs some time in the middle before going for his shots but in the 2nd T20I, he came in when India were looking for quick runs. He was dismissed for 6 off 8 balls.

Krunal Pandya - 9/10; Verdict: Excellent

Krunal Pandya gave India’s innings the much-needed finishing touches by hitting two sixes off Keemo Paul in the final over of the innings. And when it was his turn to bowl, he picked up 2 wickets, including the wicket of Rovman Powell (54 off 35 balls) to play a key role in India’s victory. He was awarded Man of the Match for his all round performance.

Ravindra Jadeja - 7/10; Verdict: Good

Jadeja had limited opportunities on Sunday but he made the most of what he got. He hit an important six in the last over of India’s innings, scored 9 off 4 balls and gave away only 6 runs in the only over he bowled.

Washington Sundar - 7/10; Verdict: Very Good

The Indian captain singled out young all-rounder Washington Sundar for high praise. “Starting with the new ball, the way Sundar has bowled against guys who come hard at the ball, he’s done a tremendous job. The composure he’s shown has been outstanding,” said Kohli. Sundar, who opened the bowling for India in both the T20Is, did a commendable job with the new ball. Unlike the first T20I, Sundar did not strike in the first over of the match but he bowled six dot balls to Narine and conceded only 1 run courtesy a wide down the leg side in the first over.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 7/10; Verdict: Good

The seasoned campaigner was at his best with the ball and conceded just 7 runs in his two overs. He also got the important wicket of Evin Lewis to jolt West Indies very early in their chase.

Navdeep Saini - 5/10; Verdict: Average

Very early in his career, Navdeep Saini got a first-hand proof of the fact that cricket is a great leveller. A day after his player of the match on debut, Saini went wicketless, conceding 27 runs in his 3 overs. To be fair to him, he did not bowl badly and was in fact, unlucky that a couple of boundaries went off his bowling from inside and outside edges.

Khaleel Ahmed - 5/10; Verdict: Average

Khaleel had a mixed outing. Two of his three overs were good but it was all undone by 1 over when he was taken apart by Rovman Powell. He conceded 22 runs in his 3 overs and remained wicketless.