IND-C vs WI-C (Source: @India_Champions/X.com)
In the heart-throbbing 15th match of the World Championship of Legends 2025, India Champions defeated West Indies Champions in a hard-fought encounter, winning by five wickets. On the way, they fulfilled their qualification scenario, winning the game in just 13.2 overs and progressing to the semi-finals on the back of Stuart Binny's all-round show.
Here, we take a look at the highlights of the 15th match of the WCL 2025, as it panned out at Grace Road in Leicester on Tuesday, July 29.
Pollard's Blitz Single-Handedly Powers West Indies Champions To 144
In a must-win game, India champions won the toss and opted to bowl first. The West Indies Champions lost both their openers, Lendl Simmons and Skipper Chris Gayle, inside the first two overs, as they were reduced to 14 for 2. Wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton departed for a two-ball duck, while Dwayne Smith could only muster 20 after consuming 21 deliveries.
Throughout their innings, the West Indies side were in deep trouble, as by the end of the 13th over, they were 6 down for just 72 runs as wickets kept tumbling.
However, after that, the big-hitting all-rounder, Kieron Pollard, made his way out to the centre and reminded fans of his batting prowess as he smacked the bowlers left, right, and centre.
Facing 43 deliveries, Pollard smashed eight maximums and three boundaries, striking runs at a strike rate of 172.09 to score 74*, bailing his side out of trouble, helping them post a decent total of 144 after losing nine wickets by the end of their 20 overs.
From the bowling lineup, Piyush Chawla was the pick of the bowlers as he grabbed figures of 3 for 18 in his four overs, while Stuart Binny was at his absolute best, picking two wickets for 17 runs in just four overs. Runs were hard to come by for the West Indian side, but Pollard batted on a different wicket altogether.
Stuart Binny, Yuvraj-Yusuf's Poweract Takes India To Semis
Chasing 145 for victory, India had a bigger task in hand as they had to finish the game in 14.1 overs in order to boost their net run rate and qualify for the semi-finals. Up for the task, Shikhar Dhawan scored 25 off 18 deliveries, while his opening partner Robin Uthappa could only get eight.
Upcoming batters Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Suresh Raina could only muster seven runs each, as India were reduced to, as by 7.1 overs, they were four down for just 52 on the board.
However, what followed was a carnage of an innings from Stuart Binny, who played 21 deliveries to smash 50, and remained unbeaten in the end after smashing four maximums at a strike rate of 238.10. While skipper Yuvraj Singh played 11 deliveries to score 21.
In the end, Yusuf Pathan's big-hitting power came in handy for the Indian side, as he only required seven deliveries to score 21* with two maximums, batting at a strike rate of 300 to take India Champions home with a maximum as they won by five wickets and five deliveries to spare, considering the qualification scenario. Finishing the game in 13.2 overs, India Champions progressed to the semi-finals on the back of this dominating victory.
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