India kicked off the new World Test Championship cycle with an impressive innings-and-141-run victory over West Indies in the first Test held in Dominica. Ravichandran Ashwin emerged as the hero of Day 3 for India, claiming seven wickets in the Windies’ second innings as they collapsed for a mere 130 runs. Earlier in the day, India had declared their innings at 421/5.
There were discussions surrounding the manner in which India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, declared the innings. Rohit’s gesture towards wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who took 20 deliveries to open his account, seemed to indicate his displeasure. Many speculated that Rohit wanted Ishan, known for his aggressive batting, to score quickly as the team needed to declare. However, during the post-match presentation, Rohit shed light on the moment.
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Rohit clarified that he wanted Ishan to get off the mark before making the declaration and revealed that he had informed the batsmen that they had “an over or so” before the declaration. When Ishan had faced 19 deliveries, Rohit, dressed in his whites, made an animated gesture, urging Ishan to accelerate.
“I was just letting them know we have an over or so before declaring. I wanted Ishan to get off the mark, wanted to tell him to get his personal mark, and then we had to declare. I could see that he was always eager to bat, it could be frustrating for them,” Rohit Sharma explained.
— Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) July 15, 2023
Following Rohit’s gesture, Ishan promptly scored a run off the next delivery, and the India captain declared the innings. Rohit also praised India’s bowling performance and highlighted Ashwin’s exceptional contribution to the team’s victory. The off-spinner claimed a total of 12 wickets in the match, including a five-wicket haul across both innings.
“It was a great effort with the ball. Getting them out for 150 set the game for us. We knew batting would get tough, it wasn’t easy to score runs. We knew we wanted to bat only once and bat long. Get over 400 runs and then we came out and bowled really well,” Rohit Sharma expressed.
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He also acknowledged the experience and skill of Ashwin and Jadeja, stating that their performances were superb. Rohit emphasized the importance of allowing players the freedom to express themselves and praised the class exhibited by Ashwin in his bowling display. India’s convincing victory showcased their team’s strong performance in all facets of the game, setting a positive tone for the rest of the Test series.
