Indian batter Hanuma Vihari has revealed the turning point in the second T20I between India and the West Indies. The tourists registered a six-wicket win at Ranchi after they chased down 250 runs with nine balls to spare, following Shai Hope’s brilliant century.
In the second innings, Mayank Yadav provided a perfect start to the team, getting rid of Shimron Hetmyer and Kamil Pooran in the opening over. Furthermore, he got the big wicket of Rovman Powell in the last over of the Powerplay.
However, Yadav dropped a simple catch of Sherfane Rutherford when the left-hander was on 38. Rutherford went on to score a majestic knock of 84 runs off just 37 balls as he took the game away from India with his blistering batting.
Vihari reckons Yadav’s drop catch nullified his good spell in the Powerplay overs.
“Mayank bowled beautifully in the first spell. When he got those three wickets it felt like the match was over. Mayank dropped Rutherford’s catch when he was on 39. That was the turning point of the match. It was like the three wickets he took were nullified by that one drop catch,” Hanuma Vihari said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Vihari highlighted how even a par score of 250 was not enough and teams would always want to chase in dew conditions.
He added, “Even 250 was not enough for India. That shows how the game is moving. I think many teams will only want to chase in these conditions and wickets. The pressure will definitely be on the team that bats first. The next three games will be mind-boggling. If you look at the three venues next, the team that wins the toss will want to chase and win the series.”
All the Indian bowlers conceded their runs at an economy rate of more than 11 and Vihari said that’s why an experienced bowler like Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been added to the squad for New Zealand T20Is.
“Every bowler went for runs. It is good for entertainment. But is it good for cricket? I don’t know. This shows the value of experience and why they brought Bhuvneshwar back. Yes you need to give youngsters chances but they have to learn quickly. There is no doubt. I know it is a difficult game for bowlers. But how many times will you lose defending 250? This raises questions in India’s bowling,” he said.
The third T20I between India and the West Indies will be played at Indore on Sunday.
