NEW DELHI: Trailing the series 1-2, India face West Indies in the 4th T20I at Lauderhill in Florida on Saturday.
Ahead of the must-win game for India, here is a look at the five players to watch out for in the match:
TILAK VARMA
Tilak Varma has taken to international cricket like fish does to water. On the back of a fine IPL for the Mumbai Indians, Tilak Varma made his debut in the ongoing series and is currently the leading run-scorer in the series with 139 runs while averaging 69.50.
A 22-ball 39, a 41-ball 51 and a 37-ball 49 so far in the series show that the left-hander is ready for bigger stages in international cricket after a flying start to his international career.
SURYAKUMAR YADAV
Suryakumar Yadav has finally struck form and top scored for India in the last match helping his team stay alive in the series with a 44-ball 83-run knock.
The world No. 1 T20I batter could not make his presence felt in the ODI series against the Windies scoring 19, 24 and 35 in the three matches. So far, he has played 26 ODIs and scored 511 runs at an average of 24.33. In 2023, Suryakumar played 10 ODIs and scored an average of just 14 runs.
But his brutal knock of 83 off 44 balls in the third T20I shed all the poor form if he ever had as he guided India to a seven-wicket victory over the West Indies to keep the series alive.
Suryakumar also completed 100 sixes in T20I cricket, becoming the fastest Indian to complete the landmark in the same match.
KULDEEP YADAV
Kuldeep Yadav is tied with Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Alzarri Joseph and Romario Shepherd to have taken 4 wickets in this T20I series. But there is a difference. While all the others have played 3 matches, Kuldeep missed the second T20I with a sore thumb.
In the third T20I, the left-arm wrist spinner bagged three wickets, conceding 28 runs from four overs.
Kuldeep can play a pivotal role in helping India draw level in the series and set up an exciting final.
NICHOLAS POORAN
West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran has been a thorn in India's flesh the whole series. Fresh from his scintillating century in the Major League Cricket final for MI New York, Pooran is the second highest run-getter in the series and has scored 128 runs at an average of 42.67 with a strike rate of 148.84.
Pooran smashed a 34-ball 41 in the first T20I and a 40-ball 67 in the second T20I, ensuring the Windies take a 2-0 lead in the series.
In the 3rd T20I, Pooran was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav, but the Windies left-hander would have done his homework against the Indian left-arm wrist spinner and would be looking to hit the ground running.
ALZARRI JOSEPH
Alzarri Joseph (2/25) was the pick of the bowlers for the Windies in the third T20I. Even though his team lost the match, Joseph troubled the Indian batsmen enough with his pace and accurate line and length.
In the 2nd T20I, Joseph (2/28) produced a cracking yorker to get rid of Hardik Pandya (24) breaking a 38-run stand between the Indian skipper and Tilak Varma.
Joseph also dismissed Shubman Gill (7) in the match on the next delivery after being hit for a six.
1/10:4th T20I: Pressure on India to draw level against West Indies
AFP
2/10:Series-levelling win
<p>India will hope that the top-order batsmen will helm their march towards a series-levelling victory over the West Indies with another impact effort in the fourth T20I at Lauderhill on Saturday. </p>AFP
3/10:Windies lead 2-1
<p>India might have stayed afloat with a win in the third T20I but Windies still lead the series 2-1, a reminder that the visitors still have concerns surrounding the batting unit. </p>AFP
4/10:Suryakumar Yadav
<p>It was a comforting sight indeed to see Suryakumar Yadav flicking on his beast mode and Tilak Varma chipping in with crucial runs. </p>AFP
5/10:Yashasvi Jaiswal
<p>India had handed T20I debut to Yashasvi Jaiswal, resting Ishan Kishan, but the opening pair failed to impress, making just six runs. </p>ANI
6/10:Shubman Gill
<p>Jaiswal fell in the first over and in the previous two matches, Kishan and Shubman Gill had managed to score just five and 16 for the first wicket. </p>AP
7/10:Ishan Kishan
<p>Whether India will bring back Kishan for this match remains to be seen, but the management will hope for a more potent outing from the openers in a must-win match. </p>AFP
8/10:Weak lower order
<p>That India do not have a handy bat lower down the order makes it mandatory for batsmen at the top to deliver. </p>AP
9/10:Axar Patel
<p>India have deployed Axar Patel at No. 7 to maintain the balance and they might continue to adopt the five-bowler policy. </p>AFP
10/10:Tilak Varma
<p>The way Tilak Varma carried the burden on his young shoulders has been remarkable. </p>AFP
