IND beat WI: Rohit Sharma’s big message – It went all perfectly in India’s 1000th ODI with the ball and with the bat as Rohit Sharma began full-time ODI captaincy with a 6-wicket victory over West Indies at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. But skipper Rohit refused to call it perfect and instead chose to send a message to the players to innovate and challenge themselves. Follow IND vs WI Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
“All I ask from players is to keep challenging themselves and be a little more innovative and try different things, so that when the situation arises guys are up for it,” Rohit Sharma said after the match.
IND beat WI: New ODI skipper Rohit Sharma sends BIG message to players ‘Challenge yourself, be innovative’
Returning to action after recovering from a hamstring injury, Rohit hit a 51- ball 60 as India chased down 176 in 28 overs for a comfortable win in India’s 1000th ODI.
“We want to keep getting better as a team. The end goal is we should be able to achieve what the team wants. If the team requires us to do something different, we have to do it. Don’t think we have to change a lot,” Rohit Sharma said during the post-match presentation.
Opting to field, India reduced West Indies to 79 for 7 but Jason Holder (57 off 71) and Fabian Allen (29 off 43) managed to lift the team to a respectable 176 all out in 43.5 overs.
The hosts then made a rollicking start to the chase, amassing 84 for no loss in 13 overs before slipping to 116 for 4. However, Suryakumar Yadav (34 off 36 not out) and debutant Deepak Hooda (26 off 32 not out) took the team home.
IND beat WI: New ODI skipper Rohit Sharma sends BIG message to players ‘Challenge yourself, be innovative’
“I don’t believe in perfect game. You cannot be perfect. All in all a great effort from everyone. We ticked all boxes. Pretty happy with that,” Rohit said.
Yuzvendra Chahal is adjudged the Man of the Match for his bowling figures of 4/49.#INDvWI @Paytm pic.twitter.com/AvsDGfiCeJ
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 6, 2022
Asked what the team could have done differently, the 34-year-old said: “With that bat we could’ve finished with not so many wickets, that is one. Could also have created pressure on their lower order.
It was a comeback match for Rohit, who missed the Test series in South Africa due to a left hamstring injury and was also subsequently forced to skip the ODIs against the Proteas.
IND beat WI: New ODI skipper Rohit Sharma sends BIG message to players ‘Challenge yourself, be innovative’
“I’ve been off for a while, haven’t played for two months but I was back home hitting the balls. Knew there was a long season ahead. Had a good net session here. I was confident going into this game. Can take a lot of positives from this game,” Rohit Sharma said.
IND beat WI: New ODI skipper Rohit Sharma sends BIG message to players ‘Challenge yourself, be innovative’
West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard said his team could have been competitive with runs on board. Pollard said losing the toss was a “crucial factor”.
“Losing with 22 overs to spare is a heavy defeat. Same old for us — not being able to bat 50 overs. Have to take stock of that. We’ve got to dig deep, get better in terms of technique, myself included,” he said.
“Credit to the guys turning up. Has been difficult the last couple of days. Getting four wickets there shows if we put some runs we can compete. It’s wet out there right now. Tonight it just slid onto the bat. That’s the nature of cricket, we can’t change that,” Kieron Pollard added.
IND beat WI: New ODI skipper Rohit Sharma sends BIG message to players ‘Challenge yourself, be innovative’
Adjudged player of the match for his four-wicket haul, Yuzvendra Chahal said: “It felt good. Washi (Sundar) struck twice in an over so we knew pressure was on them. My job was to sustain that pressure.
“Got the feeling watching Washi bowl that the ball was gripping. Had a chat with Rohit, Virat (Kohli), they said the pace is important. My thought was that if it’s turning at pace, keep doing it. Threw in a slower one here and there as a variation. I looked back at the footage from the South Africa series to see where I can improve,” Yuzvendra Chahal said.
IND beat WI: New ODI skipper Rohit Sharma sends BIG message to players ‘Challenge yourself, be innovative’
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