Kolkata: India will now hope that ace batsman Virat Kohli can recapture his form when they face a faltering West Indies in the possibly series-deciding second T20 International on Friday (February 18) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata at 19:00 PM (IST).
The Kieron Pollard-led team was anticipated to challenge the hosts in the T20I leg after being beaten 0-3 in the ODI match in Ahmedabad.
However, the visiting West Indies were far from their best and had lost their T20 opener by six wickets.
#TeamIndia seal a 6-wicket win 💪💪@Paytm #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/AoDdAjA2Lh
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 16, 2022
While Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer’s late appearances helped India win the first T20I by a comfortable margin, prominent hitters like Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant struggled. Ishan Kishan had a hard time getting started. Thus, in tonight’s encounter, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who struck 40 off 19 balls in the last match, would be hoping that the entire batting team rediscovers their form and plays to their full potential.
Aside from them, another player to keep an eye on would be our new debutante Ravi Bishnoi, who was named Man of the Match for his 2/17 bowling stats in the last match.
If India did manage to win tonight, it will be Rohit Sharma’s third consecutive series victory since being named India’s full-time captain.
Squads
India: Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Avesh Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravi Bishnoi
West Indies: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran(w), Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard(c), Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Akeal Hosein, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Darren Bravo, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Hayden Walsh
