India vs West Indies, 1st T20I Highlight: Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik set up crushing 68-run win for India

Presumably, the Windies will be left harmed, frustrated, and disappointed, but it’s the manner in which they lost especially against spin and the margin of defeat that will rub salt into the wounds. They have been guilty of playing poorly against spin in the recent past and, afraid, that record doesn’t look like changing anytime soon.

India, though, will be pleased with their efforts in all departments. Almost an ideal game on a track that wasn’t really friendly and exactly well disposed of. Both teams will now head to Warner Park, Basseterre in St Kitts for the next two games.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma‘s words,

“We knew it’s gonna 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 10 overs, we didn’t think we could get to 190. It was a great effort from our 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. I love playing here in West Indies.
The Indian team always receives great support from the Indian crowd coming in from the USA and also the local crowd here, quite superb to get such support.”

Further hit man Rohit said, “We wanted to use some things in this match. Tried something different on how to end the innings in the first 6 overs and then the middle overs and the last. In three phases we had to improvise and see how we can get the best out of every player.
We had given different roles to the players and they played them perfectly. It is not necessary that it will be successful in every match, but we have to keep trying something new with the bat every time. Overall, today we did a few things differently and I think we were able to achieve that.”

He also mentioned that there is a lot of talent in his team and the players just need to believe in their skills and the Indian team is getting very good support from the Windies.

Dinesh Karthik was named the Player of the Match for his 19-ball 41 in the first T20I against West Indies. After India won the contest by 68 runs, Karthik opened up on the role allotted to him by the team management. His finishing abilities he brings to the Indian team in the T20 format. The Tamil Nadu cricketer smashed West Indies bowlers all around the park, scoring a 19-ball 41 to propel India to 190 runs.

Dinesh Karthik was deservedly named the Player of the Match as he played a very important part in the team’s 68-run victory. When asked about the role allotted to him by the team management in the shortest format, he labelled it an ‘interesting role‘ that requires complete backing from the captain and the coach.

Dinesh Karthik | Player of the Match said, “It was sticky, not an easy wicket to bat on. Assessing the wicket is important It’s a very interesting role, you need the backing from the coach and the captain and that really helped. Important to assess the wicket and what kind of shots you need to play, the softness of the ball, and the wicket, and then you need to decide. These are a few things that come with a little bit of practice.“

.@DineshKarthik played a stroke-filled knock of 41* off 19 balls & bagged the Player of the Match award as #TeamIndia beat West Indies in the first T20I. 👏 👏

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/qWZ7LSCo82 #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/lZDxvVUVWS

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 29, 2022

Nicholas Pooran, West Indies captain said, “Disappointed, the players are feeling hurt, it’s the first game of the series and we are looking to bounce back. 18 overs it was 150 I guess and then they took the momentum away from us, we just have to work on our discipline. The spinners did well and we have to look at some of the combinations going ahead.“

West Indies got off to a blasting beginning with Mayers destroying them to all corners, yet Arshdeep triumphed when it’s all said and done regardless of surrendering 10 off his initial 2 deliveries. The promotion of Jason Holder didn’t exactly work for the Windies as he got pushed over by Jadeja’s 4-ball duck.

It was all structure up pleasantly around the eighth over as Windies built up some speed by taking 13 runs off Jadeja’s second finished. Things, notwithstanding, changed rapidly with Ashwin and Bishnoi tearing through the strong centre request. The Indian spinners did a great job, bowling smartly with changes in speed and variety, to secure the win.

After India was put in to bat, Rohit walked out with a new partner, Suryakumar Yadav, the seventh opener for India in T20Is this year. Suryakumar got going quickly with a four off Obed McCoy in the first over and then another off Jason Holder in the next. His trademark wristy flick for six over fine leg also made an appearance against debutant Alzarri Joseph.
Akeal Hosein‘s introduction, however, stalled Suryakumar’s progress. He has dropped off the first ball from the spinner before a top edge off the next ball evaded the bowler running back. Hosein had the last laugh in his next over when Suryakumar’s attempted whip resulted in a thick leading edge to a short third.

A dominant performance by our bowlers 👏👏#TeamIndia win the 1st #WIvIND T20I by 68 runs and take 1-0 series lead 💪 pic.twitter.com/H15eUfQZoK

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 29, 2022

India had raced to 44 inside five overs but Suryakumar’s wicket slowed them down. Despite finding a couple of boundaries early on, Rohit struggled to get the ball away. With the oddball gripping the surface, Hosein, and McCoy thrived, the latter dismissing Shreyas Iyer for a four-ball duck.
Rohit and Rishabh Pant added 43 runs off 25 balls before West Indies struck again, dismissing Pant and Hardik Pandya in quick succession. This left India with 102 runs for 4 wickets, with over eight overs remaining.

Holder, sent in at No. 3, couldn’t see off Ravindra Jadeja’s spin, while Ashwin sent back the left-hand batters Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer. Ravi Bishnoi then dismissed Rovman Powell and Odean Smith in successive overs to pretty much seal the game.

Finally Spinners Shine After Rohit’s Fifty As India Win by 68 Runs.

Well played to @BCCI 🇮🇳 on 5 match series opener victory in the @goldmedalindia T20I Cup, powered by Kent Water Purifiers #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/eA7Wzfril1

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) July 29, 2022