NEWS
Follow UsWinning the toss, Rohit Sharma was quick in sending the visitors West Indies to bat first. On a dry surface that aided spin, the hosts made the fullest use of the conditions, bowling the visitors out for just 176 runs, on the back of a match-winning spell from Washington Sundar.
All-rounder Jason Holder was the only shining light in the visiting camp, with a 71-ball 57, a knock where he showed great control. India made a mockery of the run-chase, getting there with 22 overs to spare. Losing skipper Kieron Pollard pointed out that batting is a huge worry for the visitors, and called for a stock-taking after the loss.
“Of course, losing with 22 overs to spare is not ideal. Not being able to bat 50 overs - we've got to take stock of that. We got to dig deeper and get better with techniques, again myself included. Having said that, not the result we wanted, but credit to the guys for turning up,” Pollard stated in the post-match presentation.
Just minutes before Pollard’s presentation, Suryakumar Yadav made it clear that ‘dew’ did play a part during the run-chase, making it easier to bat. The visiting skipper stressed on that, stating that it was a tough evening for the bowlers, under the lights.
“It has been a difficult last three days. It was pretty wet and the ball was sliding on [later in the evening]. When we batted, it held up and spun. We have to find a way. The lower-order batting from Jason and Fabian. Joseph and Akeal Hosein did the work for us with the ball - those were the positives. We will come back and see what happens,” he concluded.
The Windies have two more days before the next encounter, on February 9, with the series on line for the visitors.