ICC T20 World Cup 2016: India vs West Indies - 5 Talking Points
It was a big night at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where two teams with a massive following engaged in battle for a place in the final of the World T20. The one factor which united India and West Indies was that both arrived into the match having been hampered by injuries.
While Yuvraj Singh was not exactly setting the stage on fire, he was chipping in with useful cameos when India needed them. His replacement, Manish Pandey had not played any competitive cricket since his match-winning century against Australia in January.
But, he found himself into the playing eleven straightaway even as Ajinkya Rahane came in for the out of form Shikhar Dhawan. Meanwhile, Lendl Simmons replaced the injured Andre Fletcher and Chris Gayle slotted back in for the Caribbean side.
Darren Sammy won a crucial toss on a batting beauty and predictably opted to chase due to the dew factor. Riding on Virat Kohli‘s impeccable knock, India reached 192. Despite losing a couple of early wickets, the West Indies stuck to their task and Lendl Simmons helped them overhaul the target to enter into the finals.
Let us take a look at the five most memorable moments from the engrossing encounter in chronological order.
#1 – Rohit gets India off to a flier
5, 10, 18 and 12 have been Rohit Sharma’s scores so far in the tournament. With a new opening partner by his side, he showed semblance of returning back to form at his home ground.
Taking on the role of aggressor, Rohit summed up the friendly batting pitch and began to pelt the West Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground. It was just the impetus that India needed at the start of the innings.
The stylish opener warmed up with an effortless pick up shot off Carlos Brathwaite. When Suleimann Benn was introduced into the attack, Rohit was up to it and dispatched the tall left-arm spinner for consecutive boundaries.
However, it was Andre Russell's inconsistent over which helped the Indians really break the shackles. Rohit plundered 20 runs from the final over of the Power Play which also included a free-hit to set a solid foundation for the middle-order batsmen.