India maintain their 100 percent win record with the victory in the first T20I on the West Indies tour. The side had earlier defeated the hosts 3-0 in the ODI series under the captaincy of Shikhar Dhawan. The Windies side gave a tough fight in the first two games and had come close to clinching a victory in the second but Axar Patel produced a magnificent performance with the bat to deny the hosts a win in the do-or-die game.
Axar remained unbeaten on 64 off just 35 deliveries, smashing three fours and five sixes to take India to win in the final over. During the 1st T20I, former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who has worked closely with Axar during the stint, spoke in detail about the player as Ravindra Jadeja – the first-choice player in Axar’s position – was batting on the crease.
“Jadeja has improved vastly. He has realised his potential. I think, on this tour, even Axar Patel has realised that he wasn’t doing justice to his potential as a batsman. Both of these players have a lot of talent when it comes to the batting department. They will add a lot of balance to the Indian team if they continue in this fashion,” Shastri said during his commentary stint on FanCode.
Team India will return for the second T20I of the series on August 1 in St Kitts.
