'It Was A Great Effort'- Rohit Sharma Appreciates His Team's Efforts To Get To A Score Of 190 In The First T20I Against West Indies

India defeated West Indies by a thumping 68-run margin in the first T20I of their series. On the backs of a brilliant half-century from the captain Rohit Sharma (64) and an exciting finish by Dinesh Karthik (41), India managed to get to a score of 190 runs in the first innings.

However, it did not always seem that easy for the visitors. Most of the other batters did not contribute to the team's total as the top and middle orders failed to perform. Speaking at the post-match presentation, the Indian captain acknowledged that the total of 190 wasn't anticipated, particularly how they finished the first 10 overs.

"We knew it’s going to 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," Rohit said.

"It was a great effort from the 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," he added.

As for the chase, Inda bowlers were at the top of their game to keep the hosts under control.   Arshdeep Singh (2/24 in 4 overs) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/11 in 2 overs), although taking some early beatings, each had their share of success. The spin combo of Ravichandran Ashwin (2/22), Ravi Bishnoi (2/26), and Ravindra Jadeja (1/26) split five wickets between them. The West Indies were therefore limited to 122/8 by India.

India's new opening pair in the match

In the first T20I, Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav were a brand-new opening pair for India. The first wicket went to Akeal Hosein after the pair added 44 runs for it, giving the batting a decent start. According to Rohit, the team wanted to try out concrete things.

"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," he said.