Lendl Simmons guides Windies to eight-wicket win over India in 2nd T20I
Thiruvananthapuram: Lendl Simmons guided West Indies to defeat India by eight wickets in the second T20I with nine balls to spare at the Greenfield International Stadium here on Sunday.
Simmons played an unbeaten knock of 67 runs and built a match-winning partnership of 61-run with Nicholas Pooran. With this win, Windies levelled the series by 1-1.
Simmons innings was donned with four sixes and four 4s while Pooran played a knock of 38 runs in 18 balls.
Opener Evin Lewis, 40, was scalped by Washington Sundar in the 10th over. Shimron Hetmyer amassed 23 runs off 14 balls before departing. Virat Kohli took a spectacular catch at the long-on off Ravindra Jadeja's delivery.
Earlier, India posted a total of 170 with the loss of seven wickets in the allotted twenty overs.
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma opened innings for the men in Blue and had a decent first wicket partnership of 24-run.
Rahul (11) was dismissed by Khary Pierre in the fourth over. All-rounder Shivam Dube came up in the batting and joined Rohit in the middle.
After the end of the first six overs, India were at 42/1. The duo built a stand of 32-run for the second wicket. Rohit was bowled by Jason Holder in the eighth over. He played a knock of 15 runs off 18 balls.
Skipper Virat Kohli and Dube kept the scoreboard moving on the fast pace and stitched 41-run partnership.
In the ninth over, Dube hit three sixes to Kieron Pollard's over and scored 26 runs in the over.
Meanwhile, Dube completed his maiden shortest format half-century in the 10th over. After the end of 10 overs, India were at 93 with the loss of two wickets.
The 26-year-old Dube completed the half-century in 27 balls. Dube was caught at the cover by Shimron Hetmyer to spinner Hayden Walsh in the 11th over, reducing India to 97/3.
Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant joined Kohli and the duo added 23-run to the scoreboard. Kohli after playing a knock of 19 runs was scalped by Kesrick Williams in the 14th over.
Shreyas Iyer and Pant built a brief stand of 24-run for the fifth wicket. The former was sent back to the pavilion by Walsh after scoring 10 runs.
Ravindra Jadeja played a brief knock of nine runs before being bowled by Williams in the 19th over.
Washington Sundar came and go as he was scalped on duck by Sheldon Cottrell. Windies restricted India to 170/7 as Williams and Walsh scalped two wickets each.
The series decider will be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on December 11.
