India
will look for their talismanic batter Virat Kohli to get back to form when they
take on the West Indies in the second T20I with an aim to clinch the series 2-0
at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. The visiting West Indies side has so
far failed to drag India out of their comfort zone in any of the matches.
Also Read: Sourav Ganguly, Jay Shah lay foundation stone of new National Cricket Academy
After
being outclassed 0-3 in the ODI leg in Ahmedabad, the Kieron Pollard-led team
was expected to give India some challenge in its favourite T20 format,
especially after a 3-2 win over England in its last series in the Caribbean.
But
they hardly managed to trouble the hosts in the first T20I at Eden Gardens on
Wednesday, going down by six wickets. Another win and it will be a third
successive series win for Rohit Sharma after being appointed the full-time
captain for Team India.
Also Read: Ajinkya Rahane slams century in Ranji Trophy ahead of Sri Lanka Test series
The
only concern for India has been Kohli’s form and he would definitely want a
bigger knock than the scores of 8, 18, 0, and 17 so far in the assignment.
Rohit is confident that he would come good and has asked both critics and media
to spare him the constant scrutiny.
Captain Rohit Sharma bearing the
bulk task
On
his part, Rohit knows the importance of going hard in the powerplay, something
that was in full display in his 19-ball 40 when he took Odean Smith to the
cleaners in an over that conceded 22 runs.
Also Read: Sachin gives his verdict on Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli better cricketer debate
With
Ishan Kishan looking ordinary and struggling to get going at the other end,
Rohit made the bulk of the 58 runs that India scored in the powerplay,
something that meant they never fell behind the 158-run chase despite losing
three quick wickets in the middle.
After
Rohit got out in the eighth over, Kohli had the perfect opportunity to return
among runs and seal the chase. But that was not the case even though Kohli
looked fluent in his short stay of 13-ball 17.
Also Read: Watch: ‘How can you call it a wide?’, Rohit Sharma gets annoyed with umpire’s decision
On
any other day his inside-out shot would have been a clear boundary but this
time he hit straight to the fielder.
As
for Ishan, the most expensive (Rs 15.25 crore) buy in the IPL 2022 auction, he
was not able to score freely and failed to rotate strike when Rohit looked in
sublime touch.
Also Read: India vs West Indies: Jason Holder should be ready for 2nd T20I, says Nicholas Pooran
But
thanks to Rohit’s innings at the top, things did not go much out of India’s
reach as Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer applied themselves beautifully to
seal the chase.
With
India opting for a six-bowler combination featuring pace bowling all-rounder
Venkatesh, in-form batter Shreyas Iyer had to sit out of the opening game.
Also Read: India vs West Indies, 1st T20I: 3 talking points as Ravi Bishnoi, Rohit Sharma shine
It
remains to be seen what will be Rohit’s ploy in the second T20I which can seal
the fate of the series for India.
“We
were very clear with Shreyas, we told him the team wants that option (of an
all-rounder) going into the World Cup. We need that option in the middle,
someone who can bowl,” Rohit said after the match.
Also Read: 1st T20I: Rohit, Suryakumar shine as India beat West Indies for series lead
“A
lot of things go into deciding the playing XI, the opposition, the conditions,
the dimensions of the ground. Yes, sometimes it can be tough for the guys
missing out but we are making sure we are giving out a very clear message. Unfortunately,
we want to put the team first.”
India
will also be fretting over injury to pacer Deepak Chahar who sustained a blow
to his right hand while fielding and could not complete his quota.
Also Read: Kieron Pollard wants West Indies to focus on consistency, improvement ahead of T20Is vs India
Make or break tie for West Indies
Looking
for their first win of the tour, it would be a make or break match for the West
Indies.
They
would look forward to the return of their pace bowling all-rounder Jason Holder
who had to sit out of the first T20I following a niggle.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma wants India players to ‘focus on the blue’ after IPL auctions
“He
was hit on his chest during training and was not ready for the first game and
was out as a precautionary measure. We are hoping he will be back for the next
game,” said a team official.
For
them, the lone bright spot on Wednesday was their vice-captain Nicholas
Pooran’s return to form with the bat.
Also Read: Affected my sleep: Stuart Board ‘hit pretty hard’ by Windies tour snub
Fresh
from his Rs 10.75 crore deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad, the left-handed
wicketkeeper batter revived the Windies innings with a 38-ball fifty, that came
after opener Kyle Mayers failed to convert his start.
Pooran
and a fit-again skipper Kieron Pollard stepped up the accelerator in the last
five overs scoring 61 runs to lift their total to 157/7.
Also Read: ‘Got what we wanted,’ Rohit Sharma on 3-0 ODI series win over West Indies
But
in the end, it proved to be 15-20 runs less, bringing the focus back on their
middle over struggles where debutant Indian leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi made it
difficult for the visitors.
With
Holder back in business and Pooran and Pollard beginning to look at their
ominous best, the West Indies would fancy their chances to keep the series
alive.
Also Read: Rohit captaincy era lifts off with India’s maiden ODI whitewash vs Windies
Teams
India:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar
Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul
Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,
Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Kuldeep Yadav and
Harpreet Brar
West
Indies: Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran (vice-captain), Fabian Allen,
Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Jason Holder,
Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean
Smith, Kyle Mayers, Hayden Walsh Jr
