KOLKATA, India, CMC – West Indies’ batting failed miserably as they slumped to a 45-run defeat to hosts India, in their opening official warm-up match of the Twenty20 World Cup at Eden Gardens here yesterday.
Chasing a challenging 186 for victory, only opener Chris Gayle was good enough to reach the 20s as the Caribbean side were bundled out for 140 in the final over.
The left-handed Gayle got exactly 20 from 11 balls and fellow Jamaican Andre Russell was the next best scorer with 19 from 13 deliveries.
West Indies’ run chase was ruined by left-arm spinners Pawan Negi (2-15) and Ravindra Jadeja (2-26) along with seamers Hardik Pandya (2-25) and Mohammed Shami (2-30), all of whom took two wickets each.
India had earlier tallied 185 for six from their 20 overs with opener Rohit Sharma narrowly missing out on three figures with an unbeaten 98.
Left-hander Yuvraj Singh chipped in with 31 while opener Shikhar Dhawan got 21.
Fast bowler Jerome Taylor (2-26) and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn (2-30) were the best bowlers on show for West Indies.
Rohit put on 32 off 29 balls for the first wicket with Dhawan and posted a further 24 for the second wicket with Ajinkya Rahane who made seven.
However, Benn bowled the left-handed Dhawan in the fifth over and had Rahane stumped in the ninth, to leave India on 56 for two.
Rohit then dominated the innings in an 89-run, third wicket stand with Yuvraj, facing 57 deliveries and counting nine fours and seven sixes.
Yuvraj, meanwhile, consumed 20 balls and hit three fours and a six, before falling at the end of the 16th.
West Indies then limited the damage as four wickets fell for 34 runs.
In reply, Gayle and Johnson Charles (18) gave West Indies a robust start, gathering 26 from the first two overs. They had put on 36 off just 21 deliveries when Gayle was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah after striking three fours and a six.
Charles, who counted two fours off 13 balls, followed in the next over to a catch at the wicket off Mohammed Shami and Denesh Ramdin, promoted to number four, perished for six at 59 for three at the end of the eighth over.
Marlon Samuels, who made 17, and Dwayne Bravo, 13, then carried West Indies to 72 without further loss and seemed to be guiding the side out of trouble.
But Samuels was bowled by Jadeja at the start of the 12th over and with just six runs added in the next over, Bravo also followed, as West Indies lost their last seven wickets in quick time for 68 runs.
They will play their second official warm-up game against Australia at Eden Gardens on Sunday.