West Indies having lost their opening Women's T20 International by 49-runs to India, bounced back with vengeance, to record a fluent nine wickets win in the second T20 to level the three-match series 1-1 at the picturesque Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai on Tuesday night.  

Riding on an all-round performance by skipper Hayley Matthews (2/36 and 85 n.o.) , the visitors successfully chased down the 160-run target with 26 balls to spare. Hayley opening partner Qiana Joseph chipped in 38 during their enterprising 66-run opening wicket stand,  while one-down Shemaine Campbelle made 29 not out as the duo put on unbeaten 94 runs for the second wicket to guide West Indies to their first win in nine outings against India.  Hayley who reached her 15^th T20I fifty off just 31 balls hit 17 boundaries all-round the wicket during the course of her innings was appropriately named the Player of the Match.

Mumbai pacer Saima Thakor took the lone West Indies wicket.

Earlier, put into bat India posted 159 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs with opening batter and stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana top-scoring with a 41-ball 62. The south paw earlier had scored a half century in the opening T20I too. Wicket keeper batter Richa Ghosh made a quick fire 32 off 17 balls to ensure India passed the 150 run mark.

For West Indies, Halley Matthews, Afy Fletcher, Deandra Dottin.  and Chinelle Henry took two wickets apiece.

Post the Match, Smriti Mandhana,  India Captain said, "T20 cricket can be unpredictable; you might have a great day and then face a challenging one like today. After the first 7-8 overs in our innings, the conditions changed, and we needed to adapt better. We'll come back stronger in the next game. During those initial overs, there was quite a bit of moisture on the pitch. We needed to be more sensible and could have scored 10-15 additional runs as a batting unit. We'll take this defeat and learn from it. While dew wasn’t a significant factor in the first 10 overs of their bowling, we know it will play a role later on. As a team, we need to prepare better for such conditions. We'll practice under wet conditions and hopefully return stronger in the next match."

Hayley Matthews, West Indies Captain & Player of the Match on the other hand said, "We realized we didn't perform our best in the previous game, but today the team came prepared and the result was clear. We assessed the score at the halfway point and recognized that Smriti batted exceptionally well. Kudos to players like Deandra (two wickets and two catches) and others who stepped up and bowled effectively during the latter part of the first innings.  We were pleased with scoring 160 and knew that with strong batting and building partnerships, we could chase it down. "

The third and the final T20I between the two sides will be played on Thursday at the same venue (Photos courtesy BCCI)

Photo Above: West Indies skipper Hayley Matthews (L) celebrates her teams with her teammate Shemaine Campbelle with whom she put on unbeaten 94 run for the second wicket

Photo SM: Indian skipper Smriti Mandhana scored her second fifty on a trot