Wanted to Try Something Different: Rohit Sharma on Rishabh Pant Opening vs WI

India won the three-match ODI series against WI with a game to spare, taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead.

Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant 

Image: BCCI

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday said that it was a one off experiment to send Rishabh Pant to open the innings in the second ODI against West Indies and regular opener Shikhar Dhawan should be back for the next game of the three-match series.

A gritty fifty by Suryakumar Yadav (64 off 83) followed by a dominant bowling performance from Prasidh Krishna (4/12) helped India beat West Indies by 44 runs in the second ODI and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

During the match, India in a surprise move sent Pant to open the innings along with skipper Rohit. It was the first time that Pant was opening the batting in ODIs and he played a knock of 18 runs in his first outing as an opener.

"I have been asked to try different things, so that was something different (on Pant opening). We wanted to try it one game and it is not a permanent thing. Shikhar should be back for the next game. We don't mind losing a few games while trying out a few things. Because it is important to look at the long term goals," said Rohit in the post-match presentation.

The India captain also mentioned that there were some challenges produced by Windies batters but the entire unit came out and bowled superbly. He also praised SuryaKumar Yadav and KL Rahul for batting well under pressure.

"Obviously winning the series is a good feeling. There were some challenges. The partnership between Rahul and Surya had a lot of maturity. We got to a respectable total in the end. We knew we could fight it out. The entire unit came out and bowled superbly," he said.

"It is important for these guys to bat under pressure and that is how you will judge their character. Surya had to take his time and understand what the team wants from him. KL also batted superbly as he is consistently up and down in the order," he added.

Rohit also heaped praise on Prasidh Krishna for his heroics with the ball.

"I have never seen a spell like that in India for a long time now. Bowled with a lot of pace and kept it going. The others complimented him," he said.

Talking about the the team combination for the third match, the skipper said, "We will see what works out well for the team combination (for the final ODI)."