Team India are world No. 1 T20 team after 3-0 whitewash of West Indies

Rohit Sharma's Indian side has won nine consecutive matches in T20 international cricket since their loss to New Zealand in T20 World Cup 2021.

Team India captain Rohit Sharma with the T20 trophy after defeating West Indies in the series 3-0. (Photo: ANI)

Team India became the No. 1 side in the ICC T20I team rankings for the first time in six years after their 3-0 series win over West Indies in Kolkata on Sunday (February 20). India surpassed former T20 World Champions England who had 269 rating points to take the top spot.

India was previously No. 1 in the format under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s leadership from February 12, 2016 to May 3, 2016. Their last defeat came in the 2021 T20 World Cup group stage against New Zealand before winning their remaining three matches in the tournament against Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland.

After Virat Kohli’s stepped down from captaincy post the T20 World Cup 2021, skipper Rohit Sharma led India to series clean-sweeps over New Zealand and West Indies – guiding the side to nine consecutive wins in T20 international cricket.

Meanwhile, Team India pacer Harshal Patel said that the dampness in the wicket made it difficult for his side to hold on to the landing area in the third and final T20I against West Indies, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Suryakumar Yadav’s 65-run knock was backed up by a spirited bowling performance as India defeated West Indies by 17 runs in the third and final T20I.

“We spoke about it after the powerplay (the line and length). The ball was holding on to the wicket and therefore we wanted to keep it a little fuller. Whenever we bowled shorter they had the time to sit back and pull it. We had the conversation that we want to bowl fuller,” said Harshal Patel after the game.

“You have to have clarity on what you are going to bowl. Just focusing on the next delivery is important. There was a bit of dampness in the wicket because of the weather and it was making it difficult for us to hold on to the landing area. I don`t think there was a lot of dew,” he added.

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What a performance this has been by the @ImRo45 -led #TeamIndia to complete the T20I series sweep! #INDvWI | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/L04JzVL5Sm — BCCI (@BCCI) February 20, 2022

Earlier, the Men-in-Blue had defeated West Indies 3-0 in the ODI series as well. Chasing 185, West Indies got off to the worst start possible as the visitors lost opening batter Kyle Mayers (6) on the fifth ball of the innings bowled by Deepak Chahar. In his next over, Chahar removed Shai Hope (8) and West Indies was reduced to 26/2 in the third over.

Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell then got together at the crease and after powerplay overs, visitors’ score read 68/2. The 47-run stand for the third wicket was broken by Harshal Patel in the seventh over as he got the better of Powell (25). Venkatesh Iyer then got among the wickets as he got the prized scalp of skipper Kieron Pollard (5), and as a result, Windies were reduced to 82/4, still needing 103 runs to win.

Pooran (61) and Romario Shephard (29) tried their best, but in the end, the task proved too much, and India registered a 17-run win.

(with ANI inputs)