India withstood a late charge from rookie Christopher Barnwell to collect their maiden Twenty20 International victory over West Indies by 16 runs at Queen's Park Oval here on Saturday. The Indians successfully defended a target of 160, but Barnwell gave them some late jitters with two fours and three sixes in 34 not out from 16 balls in a last-ditch bid for a West Indies victory.
The visitors' spinners - like Pakistan's before them - squeezed the West Indies top-order batting, despite an attractive, run-a-ball 41 from Darren Bravo. Harbhajan Singh was the most successful Indian bowler with two for 25 from his allotted four overs, conceding just 77 along with fellow off-spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Yusuf Pathan.
As a result of India's stingy bowling, the home team - like the visitors without a number of leading players - could not overcome the rising scoring rate before a near capacity crowd that included embattled West Indies opener Chris Gayle, the leading scorer in the recent Indian Premier League. "We played really well, especially our bowlers, they executed well," said India captain Suresh Raina.
Subramaniam Badrinath stroked 43 to revive the visitors, and lead them to 159 for six, after Darren Sammy undermined their top-order. Badrinath struck five fours from 37 deliveries to breathe life into the Indians' innings, after they stumbled to 63 for four at the halfway stage. The visitors' top order was reduced to rubble, after they were sent in to bat, when Sammy snagged four for 16 from his allotted four overs. Ashwin made the breakthrough in the fourth over, having Lendl Simmons dubiously caught at slip. "We allowed India to make 20 runs too many, when we bowled," said Sammy.
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Scoreboard India
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P. Patel c Samuels b Sammy 26
S. Dhawan c Fletcher b Sammy 5
V. Kohli c Hyatt b Sammy 14
S. Badrinath c Fletcher b Bishoo 43
S. Raina c Barnwell b Sammy 2
R. Sharma b Barnwell 26
Y. Pathan not out 15
Harbhajan Singh not out 15
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Extras: (lb1, w10, nb2) 13
Total: (6 wkts) 159
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Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-48, 3-48, 4-56, 5-127, 6-134
Bowling: Rampaul 4-0-38-0 (nb1, w3); Russell 2-0-26-0 (nb1); Sammy 4-0-16-4; Nurse 4-0-23-0 (w1); Bishoo 4-0-31-1; Barnwell 2-0-24-1 (w6) Overs: 20
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West Indies
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A. Fletcher b Patel 11
L. Simmons c Kohli b Ashwin 9
D.M. Bravo b Harbhajan Singh 41
M. Samuels c Patel b Harbhajan 27
D. Hyatt not out 14
D. Sammy c Kohli b Kumar 0
C. Barnwell not out 34
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Extras: (lb4, w3) 7
Total: (5 wkts, 20 overs) 143
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Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-22, 3-88, 4-92, 5-93
Bowling: Kumar 4-1-27-1; Harbhajan Singh 4-0-25-2 (w2); Ashwin 4-0-30-1 (w1); Patel 4-0-35-1; Pathan 4-0-22-0
Overs: 20
Result: India won by 16 runs
Series: India win the one-off match
Toss: West Indies
Man-of-the-Match: S. Badrinath (IND)
Umpires: N. Malcolm (WIS), P. Nero (WIS)
TV umpire: J. Wilson (WIS)
Match referee: J. Crowe (NZL)
Reserve umpire: G. Brathwaite (WIS).