IND vs WI, 1st T20I: Rohit, Karthik helps crushing 68-run win for India, leads 1-5

Tarouba (Port of Spain): Rohit Sharma’s elegant half-century and Dinesh Karthik’s blazing finish were backed up by a solid bowling performance as India made short work of West Indies with an easy 68-run victory in the first T20I on Friday.

While Rohit set up the platform with a 44-ball-64, it was Karthik’s calculated assault — an unbeaten 41 off 19 balls — that took India to 190 for six after being put into bat.

The last three overs of the Indian innings yielded 45 runs, which became the turning point.

On a track where there was spongy bounce with a bit of turn and grip, Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (2/22 in 4 overs), Ravindra Jadeja (1/26 in 4 overs) and Ravi Bishnoi (2/26 in 4 overs) got wickets at regular intervals to restrict the hosts at 122 for eight in 20 overs.

Arshdeep Singh (2/24 in 4 overs) and



Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/11 in 2 overs), despite some initial pasting, got their share of breakthroughs. Hence, a below-par show by top-order, save Rohit, didn’t have telling consequences on India.

For coach Rahul Dravid, almost all the strategic changes in the playing XI seemed to work.

Suryakumar Yadav (24 off 16 balls) provided an interesting option as an opener while the manner in which Arshdeep deceived a rampaging Kyle Mayers with a short delivery spoke volumes about his temperament.

Ashwin and Bishnoi, both non-regulars in the playing XI, were brilliant as the former showed his variations and the latter was happy bowling a bunch of googlies which the opposition batters failed to read on most occasions.