Team India faced a defeat over West Indies in the second T20I against West Indies on August 1. Many raised questions when Indian captain Rohit Sharma chose not to use Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the death and gave the ball to Avesh Khan. At that time, the host needed just 16 runs from their last two overs to level the series and Kumar still had two overs left and had conceded just 12 runs in the match at St. Kitts as well.
Arshdeep Singh bowled a stunning penultimate over, conceding just six runs. But, Avesh Khan, who Sharma chose to bowl the final over, failed to restrict the runs. He bowled a no-ball off the very first delivery and then gave away a four and a six that helped the hosts level the series also. While speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit Sharma explained why he backed Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh over Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s experience as well and he also backed the team despite the loss.
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He said: “We know what Bhuvi does for us; he has been doing it for years. Unless you give chances to guys like Avesh and Arshdeep, you’ll never know. But it is just one game. They have the skills and the talent and it is all about backing them. I am really proud of the bowlers and the team. Targets such as these can get over in 13-14 overs, but we dragged it to the last over. I think the guys executed their plans and really happy with the way they bowled.”
However, captain Rohit Sharma stated that perhaps they just didn’t have enough runs to play with. However, he also added that the team is committed to this new template, despite knowing that they can face defeats sometimes. The third T20I between both teams will take place again at St. Kitts on Tuesday, August 2.
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“It was not enough runs on the board for us. We didn’t bat well. Pitch was playing quite nicely but we didn’t apply ourselves. But that can happen. I have said again and again that when you are trying something as a batting group, it won’t work out always. We will try to see our mistakes and look to correct them,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
