Ishan Kishan was the man in the spotlight at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday. But the most expensive buy of the IPL 2022 auction at Rs 15.25 crore played the supporting act to Rohit Sharma as India chased down the target of 158 to go 1-0 up in the three-match T20I series against the West Indies.
The host beat the touring party by six wickets to continue the winning streak in the white-ball bilateral series.
Suryakumar Yadav (34*, 18b, 4x5, 6x1) and Venkatesh Iyer (24*, 13b, 4x2, 6x1) stitched 48 runs off 26 balls for the fifth wicket and finished the game with seven balls to spare.
Ishan avoided unnecessary risks and played a quiet 42-ball 35 (4x4). Rohit led the charge with 40 off 19 (4x4, 6x5). The 64-run opening stand set the platform for the chase.
Rohit looked in a hurry to finish the game off at his happy hunting ground. He smoked the first six off Romario Shepherd in the second over before smashing Odean Smith for two sixes and as many fours in the fourth. The maximums were signature Rohit pulls off short balls that one should not bowl to the master puller.
Smith had the last laugh after catching the Indian captain off Roston Chase at the deep midwicket boundary but the damage had been done.
Chase's slow off-break caused problems for Kishan. The left-hander could not play his strokes as the deliveries did not provide him with enough room to free the arms. After 10 dot balls against Chase, Kishan was dismissed in the 11th. Fabian Allen caught him at deep midwicket.
The IPL auction star also recorded the lowest strike rate (83.33) by an Indian in T20I cricket who has faced more than 40 balls.
Virat Kohli's lean patch continued as the star batter was out for 17 off 13 balls (4x1). The former captain misjudged a lofted shot, rather timed it too sweetly to Pollard at long-off.
The Pooran show
Electing to field, India laid the spin trap to limit the movement of the West Indies batters. After early jitters, the touring party finished at 157 for the loss of seven wickets.
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar drew first blood when he sent Brandon King (4, 5b, 4x1) back in the first over after the batter had smashed a majestic square drive through the covers. The swing bowler opened him up on the fourth ball by late movement, and he pulled the length backwards on the fifth to steal an edge. Suryakumar caught the sitter at backward-point.
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Left-handers Kyle Mayers (31, 24b, 4x7) and Nicholas Pooran (61, 43b, 4x4, 6x5) negotiated against Bhuvneshwar and Deepak Chahar in the PowerPlay before leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal trapped Mayers in front of the stumps.
Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi had a dream T20I debut by returning 2/17 in his four overs at an economy of 4.20. He set up Chase in his second over by bowling two straight ones, followed by a googly. The right-handed batter did not anticipate the wrong un and was lbw as the scoreboard read 72/3.
Bishnoi dismissed Rovman Powell (2, 3b) two balls later with a flighted googly. The hard-hitter tried to play with the turn but found Venkatesh at long-on.
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Pooran kept finding the boundaries while wickets tumbled at the other end. Seam bowler Harshal Patel dismissed the man in form in the 18th over off a slower off-cutter. The southpaw lost his timing and hit the ball straight to Kohli.
Akeal Hosein smashed a flat-batted six and top-edged another while trying to play the pull shot off Chahar, who ran towards square leg to catch the offering.
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard (24*, 19b, 4x2, 6x1) hung in till the end to ensure a competitive total on board.
Bishnoi was the pick of the bowlers for India, along with Patel who picked up two crucial wickets, including that of Pooran.
Brief Scores: West Indies: 157 for 7 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 61; Ravi Bishnoi 2/17, Harshal Patel 2/37) India: 162 for 4 in 18.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 40, Ishan Kishan 35, Suryakumar Yadav 34 not out; Roston Chase 2/14).
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