West Indies continued to surprise the cricket world, securing another impressive victory over the Indian team in the 2nd T20I on Sunday. Hardik Pandya's men continue to remain second-best in the T20I series. While there remain multiple concerns for the Indian team, especially among batters, the manner in which the West Indies team countered India's spinners was also impressive. In fact, West Indies skipper Rovman Powell admitted after the match that there was a deliberate plan from his players to counter the spin threat posed by Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi in the series so far.
While it was the pairing of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav that featured in the first T20I, the second match saw Ravi Bishnoi replacing the left-arm spinner.
Powell, speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, revealed that his team decided to play multiple left-handers in the playing XI in order to counter the threat posed by India's wrist-spinners.
"It's a very good position to be. Since 2016 we haven't won T20 series. It was deliberate to change the bowlers constantly and give one over spell, especially fast bowlers because it is very hot. When you are batting wrist spin, it is hand as a right-hander. To limit Chahal, Kuldeep and Bishnoi we need left-handers. To have Pooran and Hetmyer is important to counter that," said Powell.
Among the Indian bowlers, Chahal looked quite impressive against West Indies, picking up 2 wickets for just 19 runs in 3 overs. However, the spinner didn't bowl his 4th over despite being one of the better bowlers. Hardik's decision to bowl pacer Mukesh Kumar, instead, backfired.
With the win, West Indies are on the cusp of securing a stunning T20I series win over India.