Indian spinners turned India Beat West Indies

What was billed as a grand battle between Caribbean six-hitters and Indian spinners turned out to be a contest so one-sided that the result was apparent even halfway into the second innings? Once MS Dhoni’s bowlers restricted the West Indies to just 129, top guns Rohit Sharma (62*) and Virat Kohli (54) forged a majestic 106-run alliance to make light of what was already task of limited complexity.

The match did go into the final over. And Yuvraj did his best to enliven it with his ineptness. But Kohli and Rohit had finished enough by then to accommodate a minor stall such as this.

Both helped themselves to half-centuries, but as much as their blades helped India garner its second successive win, it was the bowling that had set it up. Spinners Amit Mishra and R.Ashwin and part-timer Suresh Raina gave very little away, while young Bhuvneshwar Kumar turned in a probing spell of swing bowling that kept the dangerous openers Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith quiet at the top of the order. Mishra reeled in his second Man of the Match for figures of 4-0-18-2.

India Successful Started 2014 World cup T20 against Pakistan

India varied spin attack brought it an languid 7-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in the opening game of the World T20 main draw on Friday, even as a storied competition failed to provide the humdinger that is expected all time the teams size up against each other. Once Amit Mishra, Ravindra Jadeja and R. Ashwin had conspired to restrict Pakistan to 130, on what was dubbed pre-match as a ‘beauty’, the in-form Raina (35*) and Kohli (36*) overhauled the target with marked swiftness, with 9 balls to spare. 

This was a main victory considering that India's tough group also includes defending champions West Indies and the in-form Australia, which indicates to things finish up in a scramble for the 2 semi-final slots available.

Openers Dhawan (30) and Rohit Sharma (24) had been tested somewhat by Mohammad Hafeez and left-arm pacer Junaid Khan, but still managed to reach 38 without loss at the end of the Power play. When Saeed Ajmal came on, in the 5th over of the chase, he was beaten on the trot, and had scored five off 15 balls before he decided enough was enough. 

Then began a miniature phase that held the faint promise of the match turning into a nail-biter. Including Dhawan’s India lost three wickets for 11 runs in 13 balls. Rohit played on trying to cut Ajmal’s off-spinner. Yuvraj Singh lost his wickets to Bilawal Bhatti’s 1st ball of the match a fast, full delivery that rocked the base of the stumps.

Precisely 66 were needed when Kohli and Raina came together. The pair ended it in a hurry through a 66-run stand in just 50 balls. Kohli was severe off the back foot to the spinners – he lofted Hafeez for a superlative 6 over mid-wicket, while Raina punished Bhatti for a succession of fours when he landed it short. The next single saw India victors by 7 wickets, nine balls to spare, first points in the bag.