Fort Lauderdale (USA), Aug 28: In a heartbreak for the fans, the 2nd T20I game between India and West Indies was called off after rain played a spoilsport at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground here on Sunday (Aug 28). (Dhoni sets world record)
Chasing a total of 144 runs in 20 overs, Men In Blue were batting at 15/0 in 2 overs when rains arrived and stopped India's charge.
Covers were called in as India needed 129 runs to win but during the field inspection umpires found the outfield at Fort Lauderdale not good enough to continue with the play.
Unfortunately the Indian side ended up losing the two-match T20 series 1-0 against West Indies. The DRS par score for India to win the match was 27 without loss in five overs but the rain forced the match to be abandoned without any result.
It seemed that MS Dhoni-led side will comfortably the win second T20 game and level the series 1-1 and end their maiden campaign in the USA on a satisfactory note, but rain gods, perhaps, had other ideas.
Earlier, Indian bowlers put up a clinical performance to restrict West Indies to 143 in 19.4 overs.
Rain intercedes to cause an early end to the 2nd T20I at Lauderhill, the match ending with no result #WIvInd pic.twitter.com/f4e5859qek
— ICC (@ICC) August 28, 2016
Learning from their mistakes from a day before, Indian bowlers worked hard on their strategy an bowled well against the West Indies batters, who hammered the Indians badly in the first T20 on Saturday.
Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the Indian bowlers after finishing with figures of 11/2 in 3 overs he bowled. Ashwin was complemented well by leg spinner Amit Mishra who bagged 3 wickets in 4 overs and gave just 24 runs.
India thus fell short by 25 runs and by just 18 balls! 😱
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) August 28, 2016
2nd T20I#WIvsIND
Young Jasprit Bumrah too bowled exceptionally well and finished his quota of 4 overs by giving just 26 runs and got two wickets as well. With 28 wickets, Bumrah also became the highest wicket taker in T20I in 2016.
Pacer Mohammad Shami got two wickets while Bhuvneshwar Kumar got one wicket too.
Earlier on Saturday, promising batsman Lokesh Rahul's 110 not out went in vain as West Indies managed to sneak past India by 1 run in the nail-biting first match.
(KL Rahul slams maiden T20I century in pain)
With India needing 2 runs from the final ball, West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo kept his nerves to dismiss Mahendra Singh Dhoni (43) with a slower one to take the Caribbean side home.
#TeamIndia #JaiHind @Paytm #TeamIndiaInUSA pic.twitter.com/BFVh71DF6r
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 28, 2016
Chasing a mammoth 246, Karnataka's Rahul struck the second fastest century in T20I to guide India to an almost improbable win before the last ball twist changed the fortunes of the Men in Blue. (Evin Lewis hits 5 sixes in Stuart Binny over)
The run machine @imVkohli is warming up - @Paytm #INDvWI #TeamIndiaInUSA pic.twitter.com/vV0KgGL5Gi
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 28, 2016
Team India will now head back to home and start preparing for upcoming Test series against New Zealand and later with England.
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