India won the first T20I comprehensively by 6 wickets at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. And it was a straight fourth win for Rohit Sharma as a full-time captain of the Indian team.
Speaking of the first T20I, the Men in Blue ticked all the boxes against the West Indies. Starting with winning the toss, skipper Rohit chose to bowl first on the pitch, assisting spinners. India went with two leg spinners in their playing XI. Veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal teams up with Debut Ravi Bishnoi. And the trust Rohit Sharma had in the young leg-spinner, he didn’t disappoint.
Although he bowled three wides in his very first over, he came back strong. And the 21-year-old registered a figure of 2/17. It was the third best bowling figure by any Indian spinner in his debut match.
And his senior partner, Chahal, also bowled a very tight line. Both spinners bowled superbly and exposed the Caribbean batsmen, helping India restrict them to 157 runs in their 20 overs. After the match, the skipper, Rohit Sharma, was also impressed by the performance of the debutant Bishnoi.
The young leg-spinner was also part of the ODI squad. The skipper praised him and said that they wanted to draft him straight into the team because he could bowl at any stage of the games. Rohit added that the team also needs bowlers who have really good variations in their armory like Bishnoi has. Rohit further said that the 21-year-old didn’t look like he was playing his first game and surely he has a bright future ahead.
He concluded, “We see something different in him. He’s got lot of variations and skill-set with him.”
IND vs WI: Rohit Sharma backs the young opener, Ishan Kishan
On the other hand, Rohit talked about the innings of Ishan Kishan in the first T20I. Ishan struggled to get going and made 35 off 42 balls. However, on the other hand, the skipper was going really well, slamming 40 runs off just 19 balls. Instead of that, the Men in Blue won the match comfortably with the help of Suryakumar and Venkatesh Iyer’s quick fifth wicket partnership. The young opener opened in the absence of vice-captain KL Rahul.
After the match, Rohit highlighted that due to the auction price of Ishan Kishan, there might be a lot of pressure on him. Adding to that, he expressed that they needed to give him more confidence and that surely he will bounce back. Skipper pointed out that he used to talk with the left-hander during the innings even when playing for Mumbai Indians.
Rohit further suggested him by saying that it is just about spending a bit of time in the middle and scoring the odds-boundary in an over. He expressed that there is always pressure when you play for the country. But it is the job of the team to support and give confidence to the young opener so that he can play his natural game. Both teams will player the second T20I match on February 18 at Eden Gardens.