August 07, 2023, Los Angeles, CA. By Dennis Heath
T20 number 3, West Indies won the toss and elected to bat first. The weather was cloudy and overcast with the possibility rain in the forecast. The Stars of India shone brightly under cloudy and rain drizzling sky.
The Stars, two of whom were recognized as the Yadavs, were ably supported by a new star on the rise, Tilak Varma.
First up, West Indies started their innings emphatically with Brandon King (42 runs), and Kyle Mayers (25 runs) moving the score to 55 runs for 1 wicket in the seventh over. However, in the passage of 3 overs Kuldeep Yadav exposed the West Indies top order batters to his brilliance. Johnson Charles, Brandon King, and Nicholas Pooran were dismissed. Victims of Kuldeep Yadav, leaving West Indies reeling at 105 for 3 wickets in the 15th over.
Captain Rovman Powell rallied his team with a quick fire 40 runs in 19 balls, to push the West Indies score to 159 for 5 wickets in the twentieth over. Although West Indies scored at an average of 8 runs per over, the failure of Nicholas Pooran to repeat his brilliance of the previous matches, once again exposed the weakness of the West Indies batting line up.
When India batted, the early failures of Jaiswal and Shubman Gill served as a spark for the for the Indian team, who were aware that a third loss to the West Indies in this 5-match series would have very serious implications for the two matches of the series scheduled for Florida.
Surya Yadav 83 runs and Tilak Varma went into overdrive. Quite literally, boundaries flowed like the persistent and visible rain drops. Maybe it was the raindrops that stimulated the rout.
When the end came, India had scored the required 164 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in the 18th over. West Indies lead the series by 2 games to one, and with the importance of the Florida matches now firmly in the headlights. In the unforgettable words of the Stylistics, Hurry, Hurry step right up and buy your tickets before the show begins.
