Right before the start of the match, the ground curators spoke about the pitch and how it would help the bowlers. They even said that the match would be a low scoring affair. Unfortunately, Rohit Sharma had other plans.
After being put on to bat first, India had a slow start but made sure that they didn’t lose wickets and maintained almost eight runs per over. While Rohit Sharma dominated, Shikhar Dhawan played the anchor role. The pair added 123 runs, and in the 13th over, Dhawan had to leave for 43. With only seven overs to go, Rohit Sharma unleashed himself to score his fourth ton, becoming the first player to do so. He also became the highest scorer for India in the T20Is, only behind Martin Guptill. Rohit Sharma’s knock of unbeaten 111 saw eight fours and seven sixes. A few fireworks from KL Rahul helped the team to reach 195 in 20 overs.
In response, Rohit Sharma knew what he wanted from his bowlers, and his bowlers delivered exactly the same. All the three pacers- Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Khaleel Ahmed-produced dots and picked up early wickets to put West Indies on the back foot. The spinners did an excellent job as well. Though Pandya didn’t pick up any wicket, he was economical. Kuldeep Yadav grabbed two wickets and was economical until the over where he was taken for plenty. Still, it was a convincing win for the Indian team who now take an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match series.
