On Saturday, in the fourth T20I between India and West Indies in Lauderhill, Florida, India put in the kind of dominant performance their fans had been craving to win by nine wickets and level the series at 2-2.
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West Indies posted 178/8 in their 20 overs, led by Shimron Hetmyer's 61. In reply, India openers Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal raced to 165 in 15.3 overs in a brutal batting display before Gill was dismissed for 77. Jaiswal then knocked off the remaining runs in the company of Tilak Varma.
Yashasvi Jaiswal scored his maiden T20I half-century & bagged the Player of the Match award as #TeamIndia sealed a clinical win over West Indies in the 4th T20I. 🙌 🙌
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 12, 2023
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/kOE4w9Utvs #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/xscQMjaLMb
'I like to captain how I see the game and go with my instincts'
Hardik Pandya, whose captaincy has been under the scanner in the West Indies, cut a confident figure after the game.
He also praised Gill and Jaiswal, saying, "Shubman and Yashasvi were brilliant. The way they ran in the heat … and … they finished the job. There is no doubt in their skill set. Going forward, we’ll have to take responsibility as batters and help our bowlers."
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On his captaincy in the field, Pandya said,
"Bowlers win you matches. If they can get you a couple of wickets, you can control the game. [...] I like to captain how I see the game. I like to go with my own instincts."
"We lost two games but in the first game it was our own error, we were cruising well, we messed it up in the last four overs and did not cross the line. We did not do much different in the next two games. In T20 cricket, no one's favourite."
What next for Team India?
There is a quick turnaround for India, as the fifth T20I takes place at the same venue just 24 hours later, on 13 August. Thereafter, most members of this squad will turn to preparations for the upcoming Asia Cup even as another squad, led by Jasprit Bumrah, will travel to Ireland for a T20 series.
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