INDvWI
Rohit Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi shine as India defeat West Indies by 6 wickets in first T20I
Kolkata/IBNS: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and debutant spin bowler Ravi Bishnoi excelled at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where India outclassed West Indies by six wickets in the first T20I match.
Chasing a target of 158, Sharma, who was well aware of the dew factor at the time of electing to bowl first while tossing, started with big hits promising the continuation of his romance with the ground.
Almost in no time, Sharma hit four fours and three sixes before getting dismissed for 40, which took just 19 balls.
However, India's aggressive start was tamed by West Indies bowlers in the middle overs, where the men-in-blue lost Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant in quick succession.
While Kishan (35 off 42) never looked comfortable at the crease, Kohli once again failed to explode, raising further concerns over his form.
With the visitors clawing back, Suryakumar Yadav (unbeaten 34 off 18 balls) and young Venkatesh Iyer (unbeaten 24 off 13 balls) finished off the work for the home side, dampening the hope of West Indies to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
In the first innings, man of the match Bishnoi's two wickets for 17 powered India to restrict West Indies to 157/7 in 20 overs.
For West Indies, who's sorry story continued in India, wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran was the top scorer with his 61-run knock.
The second T20I match will be played at the same venue on Friday.
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