Former India player turned coach Wasim Jaffer feels that India’s win over West Indies in the first T20I didn’t come in a good way. He also said that everyone would’ve been happier if Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant could contribute well and finish the game.
After batting first, West Indies struggled initially against India’s stunning bowling attack and ended up posting with a total of 157. While chasing, captain Rohit Sharma (40 off 19) and Ishan Kishan (35 off 42) got off to a flying start. But neither Kohli (17 off 13) nor Pant (8 off 8) could contribute much. Then, Suryakumar Yadav (34* off 18) and Venkatesh Iyer (24* off 13) reached the finished line in the penultimate over.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Wasim Jaffer said: “If I talk about the chase, I think India would have been happier if Virat Kohli had scored some runs and Pant had finished the game. That would’ve been ideal. It did look, you know, a little bit tricky when (Venkatesh) Iyer came out to bat even though he did a pretty good job. I think Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid will be happy that these two guys finished the game for India. That’s definitely a good sign.”
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“But I think with Virat not making a big contribution and shot that Rishabh Pant played and got out… I mean, we’ve seen it quite a few times – he’s a mercurial player when he gets going. But in T20 internationals he hasn’t got going as yet as he has done in Tests and ODIs. That’s a bit of a worrying sign. Sometimes I feel that maybe the No. 4 is a bit up for him or probably No. 5 is a better position for him…,” Wasim Jaffer again added.
Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant too started struggling in the T20 format as well. He scored 631 runs from 36 T20I innings which came at an average of 22.54. On the other hand, Surya Kumar Yadav did exceptionally well in international cricket and has been contributing constantly too. And, Wasim Jaffer is impressed with his stunning shot selection and finishing skills as well. However, India have taken a 1-0 lead in the series already and the second match will be played on Friday at 7:30 pm at Eden Gardens.
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“The kind of shots he plays and the areas he hits the balls, he doesn’t let anyone coming on top of him a bowler… And he has that ability to finish games as well which is very good. That’s why he can bat at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 also and as needed. I mean, at times he can go at 10-12 runs/over and finish the game which is very, very good and very nice to watch that somebody in such a quick time is developing into such a fine cricketer,” Wasim Jaffer signed off.
Jaffer also said that he was hoping leg-spinners to do well against the Windies because of their weakness against that.
The former opener said: “Really, really pleased to see the way he handled himself in his first international game. The catch where his leg touched the rope, I think that was probably just the nervousness and when he came on to bowl, he came into his element. Fine performance. [For] a first game, I think he had a dream start. And that’s what I had expected. Leg-spinners always do well against the West Indies and he did really, really well.”
“I think it’s a good call. Even in Punjab Kings, we did play Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin [together] at times. It’s a very positive way to [approach] the game. Sometimes the finger spinners have very limited options. So going with two leg-spinners can give you dividents. The leg-spinners always bring you into the game and that’s what we’ve seen. Both Chahal and Bishnoi bowled so well in this game and future also we might see both of them playing, you never know,” Wasim Jaffer concluded.
