Rohit notches up milestones as India register comprehensive win

MATCH CENTRE

Rohit's landmark half-century anchors India's innings

Put in to bat first, India had a new opening partnership, with Suryakumar Yadav walking out alongside Rohit Sharma. After a few brilliant shots, Yadav would walk back for 24 after being dismissed by Akeal Hosein. Shreyas Iyer could not open his account, as India lost two in the Powerplay.

The Indian captain though would keep ticking things nicely, notching up a landmark half-century. His fifty, the 31st of his career, took him past his compatriot Virat Kohli as the player with the most T20 international fifty-plus scores. He would be dismissed by Jason Holder on 64, but his knock had given India a solid platform. His knock also allowed him to surpass Martin Guptill as the leading run-scorer in T20I cricket.

West Indies keep the scoring in check before India accelerate

Despite Sharma's knock, West Indies ensured that the damage wasn't being done from both ends. They maintained a disciplined line and length and grabbed any opportunities they got on the field, ensuring that India's scoring rate never went into overdrive. The bowlers also got wickets at regular intervals, with none of India's middle-order batters being able to notch up a big score.

At 138/6 after 16 overs, India were behind the curve in terms of the target they wanted to set. But Dinesh Karthik and Ravichandran Ashwin would provide India with some great momentum in the final few overs.

Karthik, in particular, was in imperious form, playing his role of the finisher to perfection. 21 runs would come off the 19th over, followed by 15 in the final over, as Karthik ended with a knock of 41* off only 19. Ashwin also played his part, scoring 13 off 10, as India ended up with a total of 190/6.

Windies falter against spin

Kyle Mayers made his intent clear at the very start, going all guns blazing against the Indian pacers. He couldn't last long, as Arshdeep Singh set him up with a short delivery. The move to send Jason Holder backfired as he was cleaned up by Ravindra Jadeja.

Shamarh Brooks would be the next to depart, being bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Ravichandran Ashwin also recovered from being hit for a few boundaries by getting the big scalp of Nicholas Pooran, as the hosts found themselves at 66/4.

It was a tall task for West Indies from here and the Indian spinners ensured that there was no miraculous chase on the cards. Ashwin would scalp another wicket, while Ravi Bishnoi would also bowl with great guile after being introduced into the attack.

West Indies' innings would come to a tepid end, as they would lose 8 wickets and fall short by 68 runs. With the massive victory, India went 1-0 ahead in the five-match series.