India captain Rohit Sharma said he was delighted with the series win over the West Indies in the 3-match T20Is, adding that the hosts were able to achieve everything they set out to do. India beat West Indies by 17 runs complete another 3-0 whitewash as the West Indies went home without a win on their tour.
India successfully chased a target in the first T20I, but in the last two T20Is they have successfully defended the total. The middle order, which was viewed as worrying, strengthened as Suryakumar Yadav topped the batting charts with 107 runs and Venkatesh Iyer raised his hand and delivered with the racquet with 92 runs in the 3-match streak.
India vs. West Indies, 3rd T20I: Highlights
India’s bowling unit has come under pressure in the last 2 T20Is but the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel have come out and delivered.
Proud of the way India defended the total on a dewy evening in Kolkata, Captain Rohit said: “The team that used to hunt, there aren’t many people from that squad here. We wanted to hit first and also hunt. Because our mid order is fairly new. Satisfied with the series.
“We got pretty much everything we wanted. We understand that we are very young as a team. We’re still a good chasing side, but we’re missing a lot of players. So we wanted the guys to understand how to hit in pressure situations. It was gratifying to see the guys pull the team out of situations. A good sign to move forward as a group and something to be proud of.
“I’ve been very impressed with our seam bowling at ODIs. And even here. Harshal is new. Avesh is on his debut. Shardul is in and out. So the challenge for us was to give them game time and see how they react. When you play against a team like West Indies you can test your hitting and bowling. They hit very deep. It was a good challenge to defend in both games,” he added.
Sri Lanka is a different challenge: Rohit
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma said India will try to continue the good work in the upcoming 3-game series against Sri Lanka which starts on February 24th. India will be without Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant who received a biobubble break after the 2nd T20I but the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja return to the side.
Rohit said India will continue to give players chances to find the right combination for this year’s T20 World Cup.
“Few guys miss the Sri Lanka series because we want to keep it fresh. But we have the World Cup in mind and we’re trying to give playing time to individuals. Sri Lanka will be a different challenge. But I’m not someone I’d like to see what we can achieve as a team,” added Rohit.
