During the third T20I match held in Georgetown, Guyana, Sanju Samson, who had previously captained the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), showcased his leadership skills. In this game, he played a pivotal role in guiding Team India’s stand-in captain, Hardik Pandya, to make a successful Decision Review System (DRS) call.
This crucial moment took place in the 11th over when Kuldeep Yadav bowled a delivery that turned from around the leg stump to the middle stump line. Johnson Charles attempted a sweep but missed, resulting in the ball brushing his front pad.
Despite the on-field umpire not giving him out, Samson’s encouragement led Pandya to initiate a DRS review. The third umpire’s analysis confirmed the correctness of the call as the ball’s trajectory was shown to impact the stumps, resulting in Johnson Charles being declared out.
Earlier in the day, the West Indies captain chose to bat first after winning the toss at the Providence Stadium. The opening pair of Brandon King and Kyle Mayers provided the hosts with an impressive start, accumulating 55 runs for the first wicket in 7.2 overs.
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Axar Patel of Team India managed to break this partnership by dismissing Brandon King, providing a much-needed breakthrough for India, who were aiming to stage a comeback in the five-match T20I series after trailing 2-0. Kuldeep Yadav added to India’s progress by claiming the wicket of Johnson Charles a few overs later, ensuring that the West Indies’ momentum was kept under control.