West Indies Cricket team might not be as great in Test matches and ODIs like they were back in the ’80s. However, they are certainly a force to reckon with in the shortest format of the game and have hurt many teams by pulling a victory from the jaws of defeat. The Men in Maroon gave one such heart-break to India too on exactly this day (March 31) four years ago. In the 2nd semi-finals of ICC T20 World Cup 2016, Darren Sammy-led West Indies met MS Dhoni-led and tournament’s favourite India. A spot in the tournament final was on stakes in that match and both the sides gave their all to win the battle. This Day, That Year: When West Indies Legendary All-Rounder Sir Garry Sobers Made his Test Debut.

Sammy won the toss and elected India to bat first at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The pitch seemed ideal for batting as Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane scored 62 runs for the first wicket. However, the thrill of the clash enhanced with the arrival of in-form Virat Kohli who came with all guns blazing.

ICC Relieves The Day!!

The then Indian vice-captain brilliantly tackled the Caribbean bowlers and scored runs all over the park. He went on to make 89 runs off 47 balls which guided the Men in Blue to 192 runs in the first innings. In reply, West Indies lost their swashbuckling opener Chris Gayle for five and Marlon Samuels for eight runs. The home side looked well on top. However, what followed after that was absolutely jaw-dropping.

Johnson Charles joint forces with Lendl Simmons and the pair just didn’t bring the innings back on track but also gathered runs at a brisk pace. What hurt India most is that they dismiss Simmons not once but twice. However, those deliveries, bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin and Hardik Pandya, turned out be no balls and Simmons made full use of it. When all the bowlers seemed ineffective, Dhoni gave the ball to Virat Kohli and the latter delivered immediately by dismissing Charles but only to invite Andre Russell to continue the onslaught.

Russell wreaked havoc and made an absolute mockery of the Indian bowlers. With the help of four gigantic sixes and three boundaries, the maverick scored a 20-ball 43 and guided his side to a famous seven-wicket triumph with two balls to spare. Simmons was adjudged Man of the Match for scoring 82 runs off 51 deliveries.

West Indies went on to defeat England in the finals Courtesy, Carlos Brathwaite’s four consecutive sixes in the last over and lifted their second ICC T20 World Cup title, becoming the only team to do so.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 31, 2020 02:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).