Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Saturday (6th August) talked about the win in the fourth T20I against West Indies in Florida. He also lauded 'Player-of-the-Match' Avesh Khan for his match-winning performance.
India thumped West Indies by 59 runs in the fourth T20I to take an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the five-match series. The visitors displayed a staggering performance with both bat and ball to clinch the match.
Asked to bat first, skipper Rohit (33) and Suryakumar Yadav (24) came out all guns blazing and smashed 53 runs for the opening partnership.
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They did lose the momentum after the wickets of the openers but the likes of Rishabh Pant (44), Sanju Samson (30*) and Akshar Patel (20*) played brilliant knocks with the bat to help their side post a total of 191 runs on the board.
With the ball, Avesh Khan drew the first blood for his side and removed Brandon King for 13 runs. Indian bowlers then chipped in and took wickets at regular intervals to bundle out the opposition for just 132 runs.
Arshdeep (3/12) and Avesh (2/17) combined to pick 5 wickets whereas Akshar and Bishnoi scalped two wickets each to help their side bag the series with one match to go.
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Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma said that he was pleased with the way his side played as the conditions were not easy. He also lauded his bowlers for putting the brakes on West Indies' scoring rate.
“I think it was pleasing how we played the game. The conditions were not easy but we got to a good score. A lot of thought went in on how we batted and it was pleasing to see. The pitch was quite slow which our bowlers used to their advantage.
“I thought 190 was a good score, but with the kind of batting that WI have, no score is good. We played good cricket to get the win today. The batters were really smart and the bowlers bowled in pairs to get wickets. It put the brakes on their scoring,” Rohit Sharma said.
Rohit lauded Avesh for his heroics and said they they want to give young players enough time in the middle. He also thanked the crowd for turning up in huge numbers.
“We do understand Avesh's talent. Anyone can have one or two bad games, but we want to keep his skills in mind. We want to give boys enough game time in the middle. He used the conditions and his height really well, which was great to see.
“I would also like to thank all the people who came in; I know it is hot and it isn't easy to sit out there and watch the game. There's another day to go,” he said.
The fifth and the final T20I between the teams is slated to take place on Sunday (7th August) at the same venue.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
