After the first 10 overs, we didn’t think we could get to 190: Rohit Sharma

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that he did not think of a 190 total with the start they got in 10 overs in the first T20I against West Indies. The right-hander, who was India’s top scorer with a 44-ball 64, looked in good touch with the bat. Rohit and his opening partner Suryakumar Yadav stitched a 44-run partnership at the top of the order, which set the tone for a final flourish towards the end.

With the top six batters gone in the 16th over, it was down to Dinesh Karthik and his Tamil Nadu teammate R Ashwin to keep the momentum going in the final overs. The duo added 52 runs in the last four overs, with plenty coming from the bat of the veteran Karthik, who scored an unbeaten 19-ball 41. The excellent finish helped India to regain the impetus and later, the Indian bowling attack strangled the hosts to 122 for 8 in their 20 overs to win the game by 68 runs.

We got to try and back the ideas about executing it with the bat: Rohit Sharma

Rohit mentioned that the importance of set batters carrying on as the pitch did not favour shot-making straightaway and noted that he did not expect the side to get to 190 after the first ten overs. He lauded the efforts in the final overs from the India batters and highlighted the importance of backing the ideas put forth ahead of the game. He added that the conditions might not allow experimenting with the plans sometimes and explained the significance of adaptability.

“We knew it’s going to be slightly tough; 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 told at the post-match presentation.

“It was a great effort from the boys and a great finish. There are three facets of the game which we are trying to improve. We gotta try and back the ideas about executing it with the bat. We want to try certain things, and all in all, I thought it was a great effort. Certain pitches will not allow you to do that, and we need to assess how we go about it. It is all about backing your skills and strengths,” he added.