Tilak Varma cracks maiden fifty, WI 106 in 12 overs chasing 153 target

Guyana: Tilak Varma’s maiden T20I fifty, and cameos from Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan ensured India set West Indies a target of 153 in the second T20I at Providence Stadium here on Sunday.

Tilak’s 51 is the second youngest by an Indian player in T20Is behind Rohit Sharma’s long-standing record. He broke Rishabh Pant’s record though.

Rohit had cracked his maiden fifty in T20Is in 2007 T20 World Cup, while Rishabh had achieved the feat against West Indies in 2018 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

In reply, West Indies were 106/4 in 12 overs with Nocholos Pooran batting on 58. Rovman Powell was the fouth wicket to fall. He was caught by Mukesh Kumar off Hardik.

The hosts had a disastrous start, with Brandon King out off the very first ball and Johnson Charles off the fourth ball of Hardik’s first over.

While King was grabbed by Suryakumar Yadav inches above the turf at extra-cover, Charles was caught by Varma for 2.

Kyle Myers was the third batsman to go back into the hut after he was trapped leg before by pacer Arshdeep Singh for 15 off 7 balls with two sixes, leaving the hosts struggling at 32/3.

India struggled to score swiftly in the first half of their innings, but scored 67 off the last 7 overs.

Opener Shubman Gill squandered his innings cheaply once again as he scored 7 runs. He was caught by Shimron Hetmyer off pacer Alzarri Joseph.

Suryakumar walked back soon as he was brilliantly run out by Kyle Myers for a run.

However, Ishan sketched up a cameo on a sluggish pitch, making 27 off 23 before he was cleaned up by pacer Romario Shepherd.

Tilak and Hardik continued with the punch-up etched by Ishan, and soon the Andhra Pradesh boy reached his first fifty in international cricket. He was sent back by Akeal Hosein, caught by Obed McCoy.

Hardik pressed the gas and executed two sixes in his crucial knock of 24 off 18 balls.

Sanju Samson would like to forget this innings as he was stumped by Nicholos Pooran of Hosein for 7.

It wasn’t quite the ideal finish for the Windies, who had their say in the first half of the Indian innings.

UNI