Rain plays spoilsport as Kohli and Co wait for T20I series victory

India's Rohit Sharma hits a four during his 67-run knock v West Indies in the 2nd T20I yesterday. Pic /AFP

Lauderhill (USA): India were on the verge of clinching the series with a second consecutive T20I win over the West Indies yesterday before the heavens opened and the players had to return to the pavilion.

At the time of going to press, the hosts needed 70 runs to win off 27 balls with the score reading 98/4 in 15.3 overs. Kieron Pollard was batting on eight and Shimron Hetmyer was on six. For India, left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya took 2-23 off 3.3 overs. Rovman Powell was leading the run chart for the Windies with a 34-ball 54.
Earlier, Pandya's two last-over sixes after Rohit Sharma's characteristically sublime 67 lifted India to 167 for five against West Indies in the second T20 International here yesterday.

Rohit scored his runs off 51 balls, setting India up for a challenging total before Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja propped up the innings by smashing 20 runs in the final over, which was bowled by Keemo Paul.

In the process, Rohit became T20 internationals' most prolific six-hitter, going past Chris Gayle with 106 maximums. He struck six fours and three sixes in the match.
Sent into bat, India were off to a quick start as they reached 50-run mark in the seventh over, with Rohit doing the bulk of scoring.

Rohit found the gaps with ease, clipping Paul off his pads for a six over deep midwicket. The World Cup highest scorer then swept him for a four as the Indians upped the tempo.

Keemo Paul gave West Indies their first breakthrough when he bowled Shikhar Dhawan with the Indian scorecard reading 67 for one in the eighth over.

Two quite overs followed as Indian captain Virat Kohli joined Rohit, who broke the shackles with a six over deep midwicket, Sunil Narine being the bowler, and then brought up his 17th half-century in this format with a single to long-off. Nicely getting underneath the flight of left-arm spinner Khary Pierre, Kohli got going with a neat six. Well settled at the other end, Kohli's deputy Rohit then smashed Carlos Brathwaite for a six and four as India's hundred came up in the 13th over.

It took a fine catch from Shimron Hetmyer to bring an end to Rohit's stay in the middle - he hit one high up in the air off Oshane Thomas with just over six overs left in the Indian innings.

Rishabh Pant (5) perished quickly, top-edging Oshane into the hands of third man fielder Kieron Pollard.

Sheldon Cottrell then had the big one, sending Kohli's middle stump cartwheeling for a 23-ball 28 with a perfectly-executed yorker and performing his trademark salute celebrations. By that time tough, Kohli became the highest run scorer among Indians in T20 cricket, including domestic tourneys.

106
Most number of sixes in T20I - by Rohit Sharma - who went past Chris Gayle's 105

Brief scores

INDIA 167-5 in 20 overs (R Sharma 67, V Kohli 28; S Cottrell 2-25)v WI 98-4 (R Powell 54) in 15.3 overs.
Scores incomplete

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