Kohli and Pant shines as India defeated West Indies by 8 runs

Even after a very good shift from the West Indies, team India managed to win by 8 runs and clinch the T20I series. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant played a pivotal role while players like Rovman Powell and Nicolas Pooran were very impressive. They nearly took their home but the 19th over from the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar changed everything as the player gave away only 4 runs and pulled the game back for India’s favour.

Batting first, the Indian opening order failed to impress. Suryakumar Yadav also went for cheap and then Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant took charge of things. Both these players scored 50 each but failed to stay till the end. After Virat got out, Venkatesh Iyer came to bat and played a brilliant and much needed knock of 33 runs from 18 deliveries. With his efforts towards the end, team India reached a good total of 186 runs after 20 overs.

Indian bowlers weren’t that effective but did the job eventually. Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked one wicket each as West Indies finished their innings with 178 runs on board. Nicolas Pooran who was not in form before the series is showing his class as the wicket-keeper batsman scored 62 from 41 deliveries and Rovman Powell scored 68 from 36 deliveries. Despite their best efforts, the Caribbeans failed to beat India at Eden Gardens.

Rishabh Pant was adjudged as the Man of the Match. In the post-match conference, the left hander was asked about his preferred batting position to which he said, “As long as the team wants me to bat anywhere, I am fine”. Rovman Powell who played a brilliant innings on Friday impressed his Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant. When asked about Rovman’s innings, he said, “He (Powell) was hitting bullets. At the back of my mind, I was happy as well as Powell will be playing for Delhi Capitals (smiles)”.

 Speaking about their clash against West Indies, Captain Rohit Sharma said, “Always a fear when you are playing against these guys. We knew it would be a little tough. We were very well prepared. Under pressure, we executed all our plans. It was very critical given the point of time”. The captain also lauded Venkatesh Iyer for his character. “Very happy to see how he (Venkatesh Iyer) has progressed. To see such maturity is very pleasing. He backs his skills and that is what every captain wants. In the end, he wanted to bowl one over as well. We need such characters in our team”, he said.

After the second T20I, Virat Kohli has been given a much-needed break and he will fly back to his home. The former captain will also not be a part of the T20I series against Sri Lanka and directly play his 100th test at Mohali.