Hindustan Surkhiyan Desk: There must have been a different pitch underneath the original one which could be flipped between overs. And the switch to do that belonged to Rohit Sharma. Otherwise, how would you join both the innings? Dismissing all the variables of a not so ideal T20 pitch, the predictions of a low-scoring thriller by the pitch curator and the diameter of the Ekana Stadium, Rohit Sharma broke 2 world records, became India’s highest scorer in T20Is amassing 111 unbeaten runs off 61 balls. When it was West Indies’ turn to replicate the same, all the above-mentioned variables came to haunt them coupled with a disciplined Indian bowling attack as India romped to an easy 71-run win to seal the three-match series.
The 50,000 thousand present at the Ekana Stadium to witness its first international match and the first in 24 years in their city, had one more reason in Rohit Sharma to celebrate before indulging in the festival of lights.
It was another one of those Rohit innings, having everything that gives a tough time to the video producers to come up with a highlight package at the end of it. The icing on the cake was his 4th T20I ton – the most in the world, setting up an imposing target of 196 in front of the Windies. With the pitch, in reality, being slow, sticky and a fragile batting without proper openers to offer, it was never going to be easy for the visitors.
Quite expectedly they fell way short. 71 runs to be exact after India restricted them to 124 for 9.
The first over of the match was the only time West Indies enjoyed an upper hand when a watchful Rohit played out a maiden over off young Oshane Thomas. Searching for runs in this series, Dhawan too did not have a smooth beginning. The first three overs of the Indian innings yielded only 11 runs but the important thing for India was the presence of Rohit and Dhawan.
The precarious decision to introduce spin when the seamers were doing a fine job, broke the shackles as Dhawan hit left-arm spinner Pierre for the first boundary of the match in the fourth over.
Rohit, by then, had enough of defending off the backfoot. He backed away, created room for himself and dispatched Thomas over long-off for a huge six. It landed just over the ropes but considering the size of the ground any six should be considered a huge one. That was the first of Rohit’s seven sixes mind you, speaking volumes of how dangerous a player he can be when set. The size of the boundary, the bowlers, the pitch all factors become negligible.
That Thomas over provided momentum to the Indian innings, which rose to new heights as Rohit started belting the ball to all parts of the ground.
The quick wickets of Dhawan and Pant did not distract Rohit at all. He took full advantage of the inexperience of the Windies spinners to smash them for 47 runs in the final three overs.
There was nothing of that sort in West Indian innings. The Indian bowlers always had a check on them. Left-arm medium pacer Khaleel removed Hope and Hetmyer very early into the innings.
While Hope was cleaned up by Ahmed in the second over, Hetmyer was holed out at long-on to Dhawan in the pacer’s third over.
Introduced into the attack in the eight over, chinaman Kuldeep Yadav continued with his magic and struck twice in a span of one delivery to derail West Indies’ chase.
Kuldeep first induced an edge off Darren Bravo with Rohit taking a sharp catch in the lone slip and then Nicholas Pooran failed to read a wrong-un a ball later to be bowled as West Indies slumped to 52 for four in eight overs.
It became bad to worse for the visitors when Kieran Pollard was caught off his own bowling by Jasprit Bumrah.
From there on, it was just a matter of time before India wrapped up the game and they did it in style.
