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India show class in first T20 win over West Indies

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.

“We have a lot of young players, who have done well in domestic cricket, and we have a new coach, who has been speaking positive things, so we are looking forward to doing well.

“This was an important victory for us, and we are looking forward to the one-day matches now.”

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.

But Badrinath turned things around for India, with a stand of 61 for the fifth wicket with Rohit Sharma, and inspired controlled late-order hitting to beef-up the visitors’ total, as they added 72 from the final five overs.

Praveen Kumar gave a hint of things to come, when he started with a maiden over, and West Indies struggled through the opening overs.

Ashwin made the breakthrough in the fourth over, having Lendl Simmons dubiously caught at slip off Ashwin for nine in the fourth over - TV replays suggesting he never touched the ball.

Munaf Patel then bowled fellow opener Andre Fletcher for 11 in the next over, leaving West Indies 22 for two.

The Indians met a roadblock, when Marlon Samuels joined Bravo and made 27, putting on 66 for the third wicket before Harbhajan removed both of them in the space of three balls in the 16^th over.

Harbhajan had Samuels caught behind off a top-edge, and bowled Bravo before Kumar had Sammy caught at long-on for a duck in the following over to leave West Indies 93 for five.

In the closing overs, the visitors kept their cool, as Barnwell brought the crowd to their feet with some lusty blows, but it was all too little, too late.

“We allowed India to make 20 runs too many, when we bowled,” said Sammy.

“We need to go back to the drawing board and work out our ‘death bowling’. It did not go very well for us.

“When I went out for the toss, my spikes went right through the surface, so I knew there was a little moisture there, so it was a good toss to win, and we decided to field, but we did not restrict them to the total we wanted.

“When we batted, we left ourselves too much to do in the end, but it was good to see T20 players like Barnwell showing that if we are in a good position, we can challenge totals.”

The two sides play the first One-day International in a series of five on Monday at the same venue.