WI vs IND: The series will be decided on how we bat spin in middle overs, says Rovman Powell

Rovman Powell-led West Indies got off to a spectacular start in he five-match T20I series against India. Coming off a 1-2 loss in the ODI series, the Windies gave a tough fight to the visitors and clinched the first T20I by four runs. After the top order’s failure in the first innings, it was the resilience of the batters in the middle overs that helped the West Indies post a respectable total on the board.

After their win in the first T20I, skipper Rovman Powell highlighted the importance of the batters performing to the best of their abilities against the spinners in the middle overs. Powell opined that the series’ outcome could depend on the performances of the batters against the Indian spin attack.

"We always knew that the new ball was going to give us runs. It was always going to be a good powerplay, and then it [was going to] slow down in the middle, because they have a lot of very good spinners," Powell was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"This series will be decided on how West Indian batters bat spin in those middle overs. If we bat spin good during the middle overs, then we have a lot of batters at the back end and we have a lot of power in the back end. That makes left-handers - [Shimron] Hetmyer, [Nicholas] Pooran and Kyle Mayers - very, very important for those middle overs," he added.

We've got to utilise what we have: Rovman Powell

Powell’s statement was justified as the spin trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel bowled a combined nine overs in the first T20I, where Chahal took two wickets and Kuldeep Yadav struck once. The visitors opted for a spin-heavy bowling attack; on the other hand, the Windies went with just one specialist spinner in Akeil Hosein.

However, through Powell’s excellence in the middle order and Jason Holder’s class with the ball, they managed to run away with a win. Powell revealed that he was thinking over their shortage of spinners in the game. However, through brilliant change ups, the pacer completed the job.

"Yeah, after watching what the Indians bowled, I was thinking if we were a spinner short, to be honest, but we've got to utilise what we have, and back our skills. We know what our fast bowlers bowl, with many change-ups, it will be difficult for the Indians," Powell said.