First Twenty-20 International :India beat West Indies by 5 wickets
A superb 31-run knock by Dinesh Karthik took India to a five-wicket win against the Windies in the first Twenty20 international (T20I) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. Debutant Krunal Pandya provided terrific support to Karthik from the other end as India won with 13 balls to spare. Chasing a paltry 110-run target, India suffered a rare top-order collapse, losing Rohit Sharma in the first over, after which Shikhar Dhawan walked back to the pavilion. Then Karthik enforced a 38-run partnership with Manish Pandey to bring the Indian chase back to its feet. After Pandey’s departure, Karthik batted responsibly with Krunal Pandya to help India go one up in the T20I series.
Earlier West Indies set a manageable victory target of 110 runs for India at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Earlier, put into bat, West Indies scored 109 for 8 in the stipulated 20 overs. Debutant Fabian Allen with 27 was the highest scorer for the West Indies.
Kuldeep Yadav claimed 3 wickets. Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Ahmed and Khalil Ahmed shared one wicket each. Krunal Pandey and Khaleel Ahmed are making their Twenty20 debut in this match for India. Rishabh Pant has been included in the squad in place of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The West Indies led by Carlos Brathwaite have 3 debutants in this match. They are Fabian Allen, Oshane Thomas and Khary Pierre. After registering comprehensive victories in the Test and ODI series, an upbeat Team India is looking to continue their winning momentum in the shortest format as well.