The duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma pummeled West Indies in the first ODI in Guwahati. The Indian skipper and his deputy brought up their respective centuries and added 246 runs for the second. Though Kohli lost his wicket after adding 107 runs against his name, Rohit carried his bat and finished the game with a stylish six and 47 balls remaining.
The Indian skipper as adjudged the Man of the Match for his impressive knock which included 21 fours and 2 sixes. During the post-match presentation, Kohli admired Rohit’s skills and stated that with the HITMAN alongside, the chases are never ‘too difficult’.
“320 targets are very tricky, but we knew we could do it with a big partnership. It's never too difficult when you have Rohit at the other end. Among the top three, I mostly take the anchor role because both Rohit and Shikhar are good stroke-makers. It was one of those days where I felt good and I told Rohit I will continue to bat this way positively and maybe you can play the anchor role,” said Kohli.
Kohli appreciated the way Rohit took the responsibility after he got dismissed in the 33rd over off Devendra Bishoo’s delivery. He said,
“When Rayudu came, he took that role and Rohit took over from me. I think that's what ODI batting is all about. It's about communication and batting in partnerships. It's our 5th or 6th double-century partnership, it's a pleasure to bat with him. When we are batting like that, its good fun out there and we know the team will benefit from it as well.”
The Indian bowling looked shimmering as they hardly contained the West Indies batters. Speaking on their performance, Kohli said, “I don't want to be too harsh on the bowlers, but yes, we could have applied a bit better and bowled better in the last few overs. That is something to learn for us.”
India are now the5-match series 1-0. The second ODI will be played on Wednesday in Vishakhapatnam.