Indian captain Rohit Sharma, after winning the first ODI against the West Indies, opened up about his decision to bat at No. 7. Chasing a measly total of 114, the Men in Blue had a different batting lineup where the team's premier batters - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, nearly didn't bat in the innings.
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The batting was opened by Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, followed by Suryakumar Yadav. After SKY, India's 4,5,6 were Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur respectively. The after fifth wicket, Sharma walked out to bat and finished off the game with a boundary off Gudakesh Motie.
Addressing these drastic changes, Rohit Sharma reasoned that the team management wanted to present playing time in ODI games to the team's batters'. Sharma further joked about making his debut at No. 7 and how this game reminded him of that fixture.
While speaking the post match press conference, Rohit Sharm said, "We wanted to give game time to the ODI guys who have come in, we will keep trying those things whenever possible. To restrict them to 115, we knew we could try these guys and give them a go. I don't think they'll get many chances like this. I made my debut for India and was batting at number 7, reminded me of those days."
Further talking about the match, Team India's true stars were the bowlers as everyone barring seamer Umran Malik managed to get a wicket. But the true star of this demolition job was Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm spinner who picked up four wickets in just three overs while giving away six runs. This performance also earned the Delhi Capitals star the Player of the Match award.
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Talking about this stunning bowling effort, Kuldeep Yadav said, " Perfect, the fast bowlers bowled really well with Mukesh, Shardul and Hardik. Me and Jaddu were brilliant, we hit the right lengths which is what was necessary on this wicket. I'm just focusing on my rhythm, hitting the right lengths and it has been very nice. I thought it will be a seaming paradise, we are happy we got 7 wickets from our side."
