The outing at Antigua turned out to be an ideal test for the men in blue. On a surface that was under the covers for one entire day, Virat Kohli’s men were put in to bat and were jolted early by the Windies pacers. A rare occasion was witnessed as both inform men, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan endured failures.
The coveted middle order comprising of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni was well tested on what was truly an extremely sluggish surface. Opener Ajinkya Rahane carried his rich vein of form as he notched up his third successive fifty-plus score. While Rahane was quite slow in his approach, it was his presence in the middle which saved the day for India.
Once Rahane went, MS Dhoni displayed the evergreen shades of his finishing as the visitors added 100 in the last 10 to finish with 251. From the chase perspective, West Indies faltered at the very offset and were done and dusted for just 158. Post the win, skipper Virat Kohli was delighted.
“I think it was a very clinical performance,” Kohli said. “Early on there was a quite of bit of moisture on the wicket. It was really a good toss for them to win and they bowled really well upfront. Ajinkya batted well and Yuvi’s 40 odd were really important runs. MS at the end along with Kedar finished it really well. We thought 250 was a very competitive total. The bowlers bowled really well despite wicket being better in the second innings. When we needed the wickets, the two spinners stepped up.”
“When we needed the runs, MS again finished the innings along with Kedar. Rahane at the top of the order and Yuvi as well. Individuals will hardly win you games. It is important to raise your hands and perform. We have quite a few players who have not got a game. It is important to have a look at them and figure out where they stand in pressure situations,” Kohli added.