Windies swept by India in T20s

THE WINDIES produced their best performance of the Twenty20 International series against India but still went down by six wickets, losing off the last ball of the innings in the third and final match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here yesterday.

With India requiring one run off the last ball of the match, bowler Fabian Allen misfielded a drive from Manish Pandey, allowing the batsman to scamper through for a single for the unlikeliest of finishes.

India had looked to be easing to victory in pursuit of the Windies’ total of 181 for three off their 20 overs, with Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant’s 130-run partnership for the third wicket carrying them within sight of a comfortable victory.

The pair had carried their side to 175 for two, leaving India to get seven runs from 11 balls before they both inexplicably gave their wickets away.

After scoring his first-ever T20I half-century, Pant needlessly tried to reverse sweep medium pacer Keemo Paul and lost his middle stump.

SUPER OVER

Then off the penultimate ball of the match and with only one run needed, Dhawan launched Allen straight into the hands of Kieron Pollard at long on to give the Windies a chance to tie the contest, where a super over would be required to decide a winner.

But Allen, arguably the Windies’ best fielder, was unable to gather the return with Pandey well short of his ground.

As Pandey and Dinesh Karthik strolled off the ground into the waiting arms of their teammates, an inconsolable Allen was comforted by his colleagues as he stayed hunched over on the pitch.

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