Lucknow: Skipper Rohit Sharma (111 n o, 61b, 8×4, 7×6) smashed his fourth T20 century to power India to an emphatic 71-run win in the second T20 against West Indies here, Tuesday. With the win, India sealed the three-match series with the final match set to be a dead rubber which will be played in Chennai, November 11.
Chasing a massive 196-run target, Windies were restricted to 124/9 in their 20 overs. Only five of their batsmen managed to touch the double digit scores with Darren Bravo (23) being the top scorer.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/12) was the pick of the Indian bowlers. He was ably supported by Jasprit Bumrah (2/20), Khaleel Ahmed (2/30) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/32).
Earlier, Rohit’s scintillating century helped India post a commanding total of 195 for two after they were put into bat by the visitors who won the toss and opted to field first.
It was a batting masterclass from Rohit. The stand-in Indian captain now has highest number of hundreds in shortest format along with highest aggregate of runs surpassing regular skipper Virat Kohli.
Rohit was at his brutal best as he propelled India to the massive total after being sent into bat. Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan (43, 41b, 3×4) made up for their rare failure in the first T20 in Kolkata Sunday, stitching 123 runs off 84 balls for the opening wicket to lay the foundation for a big score.
The pitch curator predicted a low-scoring affair on an unpredictable surface at the newly-built Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium but Rohit and Dhawan proved things wrong and looked completely at ease from the onset, stroking the ball to all parts of the big ground.
Young pace sensation Oshane Thomas got West Indies off to a fine start with a maiden over. But the Indian openers finally broke the shackles in the fifth over when Rohit and Dhawan took Thomas to the cleaners hitting a six and two boundaries, picking up 17 runs.
In the 14th over, Dhawan got out off Fabian Allen (1/33). Rishabh Pant, who was promoted up the order ahead of KL Rahul, failed to grab the chance. Rohit and Rahul (26 n o, 14b, 2×4, 1×6) then shared quickfire 62 runs for the third wicket off just 28 balls to take India close to the 200-run mark.
Narrowly escaped
Lucknow: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar and Sanjay Manjerekar Tuesday escaped unhurt after one of the glass doors of the commentary box at the newly-built Ekana Stadium lay shattered just as the duo was entering the enclosure. “One of the glass doors just crumbled like a pack of cards but luckily no one sustained any injuries,” Manjrekar later said. It could have been even worse as mismanagement and chaos ruled the roost during international cricket’s return to the ‘City of Nawabs’ after a hiatus of 24 years.