WI vs IND 2023: We will try those things whenever possible – Rohit Sharma on giving opportunities to young players

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is open to try all kinds of combinations before the ODI World Cup 2023 kicks off in just over two months. India registered a five-wicket win against a depleted West Indies team at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados on Thursday but they had to sweat hard with the bat.

After electing to bowl first, India skittled out an experienced West Indies batting line-up for 114 as the pitch had a lot to offer for the seamers as well as the seamers.

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya provided the early breakthrough as he accounted for Kyle Mayers and from there on, the West Indies innings didn’t find any stability. Ravindra Jadeja returned with figures of 3-37 whereas Kuldeep Yadav wiped off the tail, picking 4-6 in the three overs he bowled.

On the other hand, Indian captain Rohit Sharma decided to rejig the batting order as he demoted himself to number seven. However, apart from Ishan Kishan, who scored a fine knock of 52 runs while opening the innings, none of the batters could grab their chances as the team had to huff and puff towards the below-par target.

Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur were all dismissed cheaply and it was not a comprehensive win for the visitors because of their batting downfall.

Rohit admitted he didn’t expect the pitch to behave the way it did as it had a lot of assistance for the bowlers.

Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation, “I never thought the pitch would play like that, it was the team’s need to bowl first and have a score. The pitch had everything for the seamers and spinners, our guys did well to restrict them to that score. 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.”

Rohit also showered praise on debutant Mukesh Kumar, who became the 251st player for India in ODIs. Kumar, who had also impressed on his Test debut, returned with figures of 1-22 as he accounted for Alick Athanaze.

Rohit added, “Mukesh was brilliant, he can swing the ball at good pace. Good to see what he can offer, haven’t seen him much in domestic cricket. No matter the conditions, we need to bowl in the right areas to restrict them and I thought our bowlers did brilliantly. And then Ishan was good with the bat as well.”

The second ODI between India and West Indies will be played at the same venue of Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados on Saturday.