The inaugural international men’s fixture at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy ground had a carnivalesque vibe. After the poorly attended ODIs, the first T20 drew Trinidadians by the droves. However, they left disappointed as India eased to a 68-run win. Put into bat, openers Rohit Sharma and Surya Kumar Yadav flew into a fast start, reeling off 43 runs in four overs. Surya Kumar had a particularly fruitful over at Alzarri Joseph’s expense, whipping the pacer for six over long leg off the second ball. Joseph followed by firing a snorter which flew over Yadav and wicket-keeper Nicholas Pooran for four. He’d attempt a similar delivery off his last ball, but Yadav arced his back to glance the ball past the keeper for four.

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But after the initial flurry, left-arm pair Akeal Hosein and Abed McCoy put a leash on the Indians. By dismissing Yadav and Shreyas Iyer in successive overs -the latter courtesy of a sharp Hosein catch at slips- the Indians were forced to drop the charge. The Trinidadian tweaker bowled intelligently as his deliveries gripped off the slowish surface. His four overs only yielded 14 runs.

After the brief lull, India began to find runs. Alzarri’s folly proved the perfect foil to Rohit Sharma. After going for 18 in his first, he shaved six off his next, watching as the Indian captain pulled him for a flattish six. Odeon Smith and Keemo Paul followed with similarly expensive overs. But Paul found the palliative soon enough. 26 runs off 11 balls later, Pant’s wild slash found the edge and Akeal’s cupped hands. Sharma was invincible, however. Making merry off Joseph’s pace, he notched up his fifty with back-to-back fours. Chewing gum and stroking effortlessly, the Mumbaikar also moved past Martin Guptill atop the T20 run charts. Irrespective of his expensive ways, Alzarri dismissed the dangerous Hardik Pandya. Bowling fast and short, Pandya rocked back to ramp a catch to third-man.

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Ravindra Jadeja and Sharma carried on breezily before Jason Holder sent the latter packing. Sharma attempted to slap a slow, back-of-the-length ball over long-leg. However, it found Hetmyer -diving forwards to complete a fine catch. Jadeja was gone soon after. Joseph banged it in short and wide, but the moustachioed all-rounder carved a catch to short third-man. The visitors had hit the skids, but Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik came to their rescue. The latter flayed 41 off 19 balls, as 36 came off the final two overs, lifting India to 190.

In response, the Windies’ openers looked to spit fire from the get-go. But keeping with the match’s rhythm, a wicket was always around the corner. Kyle Mayers smacked debutant Arshdeep Singh for a towering six and a four, but for inexplicable reasons, decided to change his bat. He was gone next ball. Holder, next in, tried to make room for a square-cut off Jadeja, only to see his stumps disturbed. Shamarh Brooks suffered a similar fate. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar made a mess of his stumps as an attempted hoick went awry. Pooran’s dismissal dragged them deeper into the mud.

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Falling well behind the asking rate at the 10-over mark, Rovman Powell and Hetmyer had all to do. It wasn’t to be. Powell and Hetmyer were dismissed in successive overs, falling to Ravi Bishnoi and Ashwin. Bishnoi snagged another, making the Jamaican Smith look silly. At 86/7, the match was sliding fast. On a slow surface, India’s tactic of going with a troika of spinners was paying dividends. In contrast, Pooran only had Hosein at his disposal. Unsurprisingly, he was their most economical.