Trinidad, June 4: India began their tour to the West Indies in style trouncing the hosts by 16 runs in the only T20 match of the tour. S Badrinath led India’s batting effort, top-scoring with an innings of 43 while Harbhajan Singh took two for 25 as the hosts fell short of India’s score on a turning Queen’s Park Oval wicket.

Earlier, after West Indies captain Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to bowl, India did well to post a total of 159 for six in 20 overs. This after Sammy had taken four top order Indian wickets to leave the visitors reeling at 56 for four in 8.4 overs.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan (5) edged a shortish delivery off Sammy to wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher while Sammy’s twin strikes off consecutive deliveries in the seventh over sent Virat Kohli (14) and Parthiv Patel (26) back to the dug-out. Ten deliveries later, India captain Suresh Raina (2) became Sammy’s fourth victim in the game.

But India did well to recover with S Badrinath and Rohit Sharma putting on 71 runs for the fifth wicket. Not only did the two help India claw their way back into the match, but along with Yusuf Pathan (15* off six) and Harbhajan Singh (15* off seven), they blasted 72 runs from the last five overs. Thanks to the effort, India moved from 87 for four in 15 overs to a score of 159 at the end of 20. West Indies medium pacer Christopher Barnwell, bowling the 18th over of the innings, went for 20 runs in that passage of play.

Badri top-scored for India with a 37-ball 43.

West Indies, in reply, lost both openers, Lendl Simmons (9) and Andre Fletcher (11), with the score at 22 and before the fifth over had been completed. Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels then held the Windies innings together with a 66-run partnership but failed to up the scoring rate.

With 75 required off the last five overs, Harbhajan Singh was rewarded with both their wickets. The offspinner dismissed Samuels (27) and Bravo (41) in the space of three deliveries as both batsmen looked to give the hosts’ innings a late flourish.

West Indies eventually finished at 143 for five, 16 runs short of India’s score.

This being the only T20 match scheduled for the tour, the action now shifts to the five match one-day series which begins on June 6 right here at Port of Spain.

Brief Scores: India 159/6 in 20.0 overs (S Badrinath 43, Rohit Sharma 26, Parthiv Patel 26, Darren Sammy 4/16) beat West Indies 143/5 in 20.0 overs (Darren Bravo 41, Marlon Samuels 27, Harbhajan Singh 2/25) by 16 runs

Man-of-the-match:S Badrinath for his 37-ball 43 that took India to a match-winning total of 159