India won 5th T20I vs West Indies by 88 runs to claim 4-1 series win

Shreyas Iyer scored 64 runs, leading India to claim the fifth T20I against West Indies by 88 runs and win the series 4-1 on Sunday at the Central Broward Regional Park, Florida.

Iyer hit an impressive 64 to guide India to 188/7 against West Indies after stand-in captain Hardik Pandya decided to bat. Iyer secured India’s innings while Deepak Hooda and Pandya recorded 38 and 28 runs, respectively.

Pandya handed the ball to Axar Patel, who performed short work with Jason Holder, Shamarah Brooks, and Devon Thomas with three arm balls.

“I wanted to give Axar the ball early because he is used to bowling in the powerplay, he is capable of holding his own and then with the wrist spinners, I knew we could get the wickets. It’s about how we can get better from here," he said.

Iyer performed notably well while being in an unfamiliar position as an opener and after failing in the first three matches and being dropped from the fourth. Throughout the match, he paired up with Hooda. They added 76 runs in 7.1 overs, with as many as four sixes hit.

India was two wickets down when Ishan Kishan and Hooda were dismissed. With the team already securing the win of the series, Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were rested in preparation for the Asia Cup, which is set to begin later this month.

Becoming Player of the Series

Arshdeep Singh became the Player of the Series. He said he was grateful for being able to represent his country. Singh said he kept it simple by believing what the captain and coach told the team.

“We have to do whatever the demand of the wicket and the team is. We do what the captain and coaches tell us. Credit to them for the clarity they have given me,” Singh said.

“I don't know what my greatest asset is but keeping things simple and focusing on process helps me. The way the captains back the youngsters, and the feel of the dressing room is very nice. Youngsters and seniors feel the same. Helps as a youngster to come in and repeat what you do with your IPL and state teams. My mentor and my competition is my dad, he is very economical and bowling well."

Former Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad praised Singh on social media.

“Arshdeep Singh at 23 in the death overs is as good as anyone in World cricket. Early says in his career but seems to have a very steady head on his shoulders besides great skills. Man to watch out for #IndvWI,” he said.

Internal drama and issue

West Indies have been known for playing aggressively in T20Is. However, former cricketer Parthiv Patel said they had not lived up to expectations as of late.

Parthiv said that there was always some kind of drama when they played

“One needs that flair that West Indies usually give you. There’s always some drama wherever they are playing. Every time they go out there and play that different brand of cricket. They are far away from that,” Parthiv said.

Captain Nicholas Pooran said the defeat was another thing that reminded the team they needed to be better.

“We were just not good enough. We didn’t learn from our mistakes. We just weren’t up to the challenge, just didn’t put enough partnerships. To come up against tough teams, we need to be good in execution," he said.