New Delhi: A quickfire 19-ball 40 from skipper Rohit Sharma, after a clinical bowling performance from debutant Ravi Bishnoi (2/17) powered team India to a remarkable 6-wicket win in the series opener against West Indies at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
The quick start from the Indian openers made the 158-run chase look easy but the hosts were made to struggle after the initial overs of their innings as after Rohit's dismissal, Indian batters were finding it tough to score boundaries.
The rising required run-rate kept on building the pressure on them. However, a finish act from Suryakumar Yadav (18-ball 34) and Venkatesh Iyer (13-ball 24) powered the Men in Blue to a remarkable win in the series opener, go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first at Kolkata, keeping in mind the 'dew factor'. The Indian leg-spin pair of Yuzvendra Chahal (1/37) and debutant Ravi Bishnoi (2/17) starred with the ball to leave the Windies batting lineup reeling.
Both the spinners were brilliant in the middle overs as they bamboozled their opponents to put India on top and in command. However, Nicholas Pooran scored a quickfire 61 to help his team recover from those early blows and push them to a respectable 157 at iconic Eden Gardens.
India's Playing XI: Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal
West Indies playing XI: Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard (c), Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Odean Smith, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell