Team India might have suffered a five-wicket defeat at the hands of West Indies in the second T20I, but skipper Rohit Sharma said he will continue to back his young bowlers and give them opportunities in crunch moments of a game.
Rohit's comments came after his decision to give the final over to Avesh Khan backfired in the second T20I. In a low-scoring affair, Avesh was given the responsibility to defend 10 runs in the last over even though senior pacer Bhuvneswar Kumar (0/12) had his two overs remaining.
While Avesh started the final over with a no-ball, he was then smashed for a six and a four as West Indies overhauled the target of 139 in 19.2 overs.
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"It's all about giving opportunity. We know Bhuvneshwar, what he brings to the table, but if you don't give opportunity to Avesh or Arshdeep you will never find out what it means to bowl at the death for India," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
"They have done it in the IPL. Just one game, those guys don't need to panic. They need backing and opportunity," he added.
According to Rohit, Indian batters did not apply themselves on a batting-friendly surface in St Kitts. However, he is hopeful of a quick turnaround.
"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," he stated.
"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," the captain further said.
Riding on Obed McCoy’s six-wicket haul (6/17), West Indies bundled out India for a paltry 138 in 19.4 overs.
In reply, the hosts got over the line on the back of opener Brandon King’s 52-ball 68 and wicketkeeper batter Devon Thomas’ unbeaten 31 off 19 balls.
Rohit Sharma was pleased with his team’s fighting spirit for taking the game to the last over.
"Proud of the team. When you are defending a target like that, it can end in 13-14 overs or you try to drag it to the last over. Guys kept fighting, it was important to take wickets. The planning we did, the guys came and executed," Rohit said.
"Happy with bowlers, but there are certain things in the batting we need to look at. I will again and again say that we will continue to bat in this fashion because we want to achieve something. One-off result, shouldn't panic. After one loss we won't change things around," he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
