END OF OVER:20 | 6 Runs 1 Wkt | IND: 244/4 (2 runs required, RR: 12.20)
- KL Rahul110 (51b)
- Dwayne Bravo4-0-37-2
- Andre Russell4-0-53-1
Knackered, folks, but these are the kind of games that give you an ultimate kick. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Do join us on Sunday for what we hope would be another cracker in Lauderhill. Until then, be well. Cheers!
Not often do you see MS Dhoni so upset on the field, but his body language tells you a story. Spare a thought for KL Rahul, who did everything one could possibly do bring the chase back into the realms of possibility. West Indies have stolen this from under India's nose. They looked dead and buried going into the last over, but it simply reiterated how the tide can turn very quickly. Couple of dots were enough to build pressure and eventually force a mistake. Six years ago, this situation could have perhaps been a walk in the park for Dhoni. Irrespective, we couldn't have asked for a better contest to kick off India's tryst with America. Hats off to the fans for making this a contest to remember. Amidst the end-result and Rahul's glorious century, we must not forget Evin Lewis and Johnson Charles, who set this up so beautifully with a blitzkrieg of their own.
Carlos Brathwaite: When Bravo said he was bowling a slower ball at the end, I told him that he had my backing. But in my mind I was thinking 'really?'. We never do things easy, but we held our nerve. We couldn't quite tell who was the home team. It was a great game of cricket.
Evin Lewis is the Player of the Match for his 49-ball 100.
MS Dhoni: It was an amazing game. We couldn't have expected more from the batting unit. The last ball, the thinking was right but the execution was wrong. Everything is judged by execution. We did most things right. Whenever there was a partnership, we kept the asking rate at just 12. I felt Rahul was outstanding throughout. The others too were superb because it's not always easy to chase down 250. A win would have been perfect, but there were so many things we did right today.
"With nine runs to go, I said we didn't have anything to lose. I'd like to test my skills in these kinds of situations," says a triumphant Dwayne Bravo. "We know what MS can do. He can finish off the game with one hit. I wanted to ensure the first ball didn't go for a boundary. I wanted to keep my composure and back my skills with the two balls: the slower one and the yorker. We wanted to keep midwicket in to prevent him from just hitting it towards that region. I was a touch apprehensive to bowl the slower delivery, but then I saw MS walking across and so bowled it and it worked out."
MS Dhoni c Samuels b Bravo 43 (53m 25b 2x4 2x6) SR: 172.00
Is a Super Over on the cards? Rahul has done his bit. Can Dhoni finish off? Bravo is taking his time. Chants of 'Dhoni, Dhoni'. Midwicket has come in to prevent Dhoni from turning it off his pads and steal two. Pollard and Brathwaite are in a mid-pitch conference
Can Bravo bowl a Champion over? Dhoni on strike
END OF OVER:19 | 16 Runs | IND: 238/3 (8 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 12.52, RRR: 8.00)
- KL Rahul108 (49b)
- MS Dhoni40 (21b)
- Andre Russell4-0-53-1
- Dwayne Bravo3-0-32-1
Two quiet deliveries and this could get interesting
END OF OVER:18 | 9 Runs | IND: 222/3 (24 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 12.33, RRR: 12.00)
- MS Dhoni39 (20b)
- KL Rahul94 (44b)
- Dwayne Bravo3-0-32-1
- Andre Russell3-0-37-1
Devendra: "Doubt many yanks are going to confuse this with a baseball match. These guys have hit more "home runs" than in a complete baseball season!"
India favourites now. How the table has turned. Two key overs from Bravo coming up. A six off his next delivery could give Rahul the record for the fastest T20I ton
END OF OVER:17 | 20 Runs | IND: 213/3 (33 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 12.52, RRR: 11.00)
- KL Rahul94 (43b)
- MS Dhoni31 (15b)
- Andre Russell3-0-37-1
- Kieron Pollard3-0-30-1
The time it has taken for them to retrieve the ball is enough for both batsmen to have a quick sip of energy drink