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In the decisive clash between India and West Indies in the 5th T20I, Team India failed to defend their score, handing a victory to the Caribbean side at Lauderhill, Florida, on Sunday, August 13. India set a target of 166 runs but despite the side showing promise initially, it wasn't to be India's day as Nicholas Pooran and Brandon King dominated the batting, pushing the match in the favour of the host side.
Indian captain, Hardik Pandya, admitted his shortcoming in the game. "If you see we lost that period post the ten overs. I came there, took my time, and was not able to capitalise," remarked Pandya at the post-match presentation.
The score reflected the Windies' dominance. Arshdeep Singh offered a glimmer of hope for India by taking the wicket of Kyle Mayers early in the match, but that momentum was short-lived. Kuldeep Yadav's threat was neutralised by the duo of King and Pooran, and even a game delay during the 13th over didn't change India's fortunes.
After play resumed, Tilak Varma managed to dismiss Pooran to bag his first-ever wicket in international cricket, but the incoming Shai Hope ensured West Indies secured a commanding victory.
Despite the setback, the optimistic Pandya mentioned, "All these games are where you are going to challenge ourselves. It's a longer process which I don't need to explain much." He further added, "I mean it's a long way now (the T20 World Cup 2024). The next is the ODI world cup. Losing is good sometimes. It teaches you a lot of things. It does not cover up the messes," the Indian captain said.
Notably, this India vs West Indies 2023 series marked the first T20I series loss under Pandya's captaincy. Furthermore, it's been six years since the West Indies last bested India in a T20I series.
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