India drew first blood over the Windies in the opening T20I in Trinidad on Friday. However, skipper Rohit Sharma has asserted that there are three facets that his time is trying to improve.
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma was delighted with how things turned out during the opening Twenty20 International (T20I) against the Windies at the Brain Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, on Friday. However, he wants his batters to "carry on longer" and convert the starts into tangible scores. Rohit and Dinesh Karthik lifted India to a competitive total of 190 from a discomfiting 138/6 in the 16th over. It proved enough for the Indians to record a 68-run win. While Rohit set up the platform with a 44-ball-64, Karthik's calculated assault -- an unbeaten 41 off 19 -- powered India in the closing stages of its innings on a track with a porous bounce, along with some turn and grip.
"We knew it was going to be slightly tricky. The shot-making wasn't easy at the start. The guys who are set need to carry on for longer, and the way we finished off the first innings was a great effort. When we finished the first ten overs, we didn't think we could get to 190," Rohit said during the post-match presentation.
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"It was a great effort from the boys and an excellent finish. There are three facets of the game which we are trying to improve. We have got to try and back the ideas about executing it with the bat. We want to try certain things, and I thought it was a great effort," counted Rohit.
For head coach Rahul Dravid, almost all the strategic shifts seemed to have worked out for the playing XI. Suryakumar Yadav (24 off 16) provided an attractive option as an opener. At the same time, how pacer Arshdeep Singh deceived a rampaging opener, Kyle Mayers, spoke volumes about his temperament with fast delivery.
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"Certain pitches will not allow you to do that, and we need to assess how we go about. It is all about backing your skills and strengths. I love playing here in West Indies. Indian team always receives great support from the Indian crowd coming in from the USA and the local crowd here, quite superb to get such support," Rohit continued.
The team's designated finisher, Karthik, revealed that the team management had backed him. "It was sticky, not an easy wicket to bat on. It's an exciting role. It will help if you get the backing from the coach and the captain, which helped. Important to assess the wicket and what kind of shots you need to play, and that comes with practice," enunciated Karthik, adjudged the Man of the Match.
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Trailing 0-1 in the five-match series, Windies captain Nicholas Pooran was dissatisfied for letting the "amazing" crowd down. "The players have been feeling very hurt, but this is the first game of the T20 series, and we will look to bounce back," Pooran said.
(With inputs from PTI)