Rohit Sharma weighs on India’s aggressive approach going forward

West Indies clawed their way back into the series after Nicholas Pooran’s side defeated India in the second T20I at St. Kitts on Monday, 1st of August, to level the five-match series. The Indian team’s abject batting failure in the first innings caused a lot of concerns among fans, but skipper Rohit Sharma has maintained that they will continue with their aggressive approach with the bat.

The visitors were put into bat after West Indies won the toss and were rocked instantly as Obed McCoy dismissed the Indian skipper for a golden duck, his first of the six victims in a stellar bowling display. The left-arm pacer ran riot with the ball in hand and returned with astonishing figures of 6/17, the best by a West Indian bowler in T20Is, restricting India to a paltry total of 138 on a decent batting track.

The total was never going to be enough against a power-hitting batting side like the hosts. Still, the visitors made a fist of it, with some exceptional bowling in the middle and death overs as West Indies scraped past the total in the last over of the match. Rohit praised his bowlers for their effort in a low-scoring contest and was bullish about the team’s approach for the upcoming games and the T20 World Cup.

“Really, really happy with how the bowlers bowled, but of course, there are certain things in our batting that we really need to look at, But again, I will say that as well: we will continue to bat in that kind of fashion because we want to achieve something. Unless you try and do it, you will not achieve,” the Indian skipper said in the post-match presser.

We will keep the same intensity and same intent with the bat: Rohit Sharma

Notably, this is not the first time an outfit has adopted this approach as England’s Eoin Morgan, quite famously, shaped English white-ball cricket with his all-out attack approach, which rewarded them with a World Cup title in 2019. Rohit stated that there is no need to panic after odd losses now and then, and they will maintain the same intent with the bat.

“So, I think, one odd result here and there, we shouldn’t panic. It’s just about giving those guys that clarity, and after one loss we are not trying to change anything. We will keep the same intensity and same intent with the bat,” the opener added.