KINGSTON – Opening batsman Evin Lewis smashed 12 sixes in an unbeaten century as West Indies beat India by nine wickets in a one-off Twenty20 international in Jamaica on Sunday.
Lewis upstaged hometown hero Chris Gayle by compiling 125 not out off 62 deliveries, a run rate of more than two per ball as he scored the third-highest total in a T20 international.
West Indies won with nine balls to spare, making 194 for one off 18.3 overs in reply to India’s 190 for six at Sabina Park, Lewis clinching the victory in style by sweeping spinner Ravindra Jadeja over the boundary rope.
The 25-year-old Trinidadian became the third player to score two T20 international centuries, after Gayle and New Zealander Brendon McCullum.
Only Australians Aaron Finch (156) and Glenn Maxwell (145 not out) have recorded higher scores.
Gayle, in his first appearance for West Indies since they won the World Twenty20 15 months ago, compiled a relatively subdued 18 off 20 balls, while Marlon Samuels chipped in with 36 not out.
West Indies might have become easy-beats in Test cricket, but they showed on Sunday they are a different in the shortest version of the sport, especially with the bat.
“Five games in a row, in the ODIs, I didn’t do well but I kept believing in my ability and today I came out trumps,” Lewis said, referring to his slim pickings in the One-Day International series that preceded the one-off T20.
West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite revealed he had offered his batsmen a sweetener. “Yesterday we asked for the batters to go out and express themselves,” Brathwaite said.
“I gave them the captain’s incentive, whoever goes and gets a 50 gets half my match fee. We wanted to put smiles on the faces of the fans.”
India captain Virat Kohli scored 39 off 22 balls as his team wrapped up their short Caribbean tour on a sour note after they won the ODI series 3-1.
“West Indies have a good T20 team,” Kohli said. “They have carried on with the same team for a couple of years, and in experimental stage we’d have up and downs.”
Summarised scores:
India 190 for six off 20 overs (Dinesh Karthik 48, Virat Kohli 39, Rishabh Pant 38; Jerome Taylor 2-31, Kesrick Williams 2-42). West Indies 194 for one off 18.3 overs (Evin Lewis 125 not out, Marlon Samuels 36 not out). West Indies won by nine wickets. (Reuters)
