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Rohit reveals huge reason behind picking Avesh Khan over Bhuvneshwar in final over of 2nd T20: 'We know what he does...'
India captain Rohit Sharma threw in a surprise when he handed the ball to youngster Avesh Khan to defend 10 runs off the final over in the second T20I against West Indies.
Team India endured a five-wicket defeat to West Indies in the second T20I of the series in Basseterre on Monday. In a match that was pushed back twice due to delay in the arrival of luggage, India, batting first, were bowled out on merely 138; the bowlers, then, produced a commendable effort to bring the visitors back in the game but eventually conceded a defeat in the final over. Obed McCoy was the star for the Windies, as he took a brilliant six-wicket haul before opener Brandon King scored a valiant 68, while Devon Thomas remained unbeaten on 31 off 19 deliveries to take the Windies home.
The home side required 16 runs off the final two overs when Rohit Sharma handed the ball to youngster Arshdeep Singh. The left-handed pacer bowled a spectacular over, conceding only six while taking the important wicket of Rovman Powell. While most fans expected Rohit to go to Bhuvneshwar Kumar (who had 2 overs remaining) for the final over of the match, the India captain threw a surprise as he put his faith in an inexperienced Avesh Khan.
The decision didn't reap rewards, however, as Avesh bowled a no-ball first-up, and went on to concede a six off the first legitimate ball of the over. The match ended the very next delivery as Devon Thomas smashed a back-of-a-length delivery from the India youngster for a four.
Following the game, Rohit revealed the reason behind not opting to go with more experienced Bhuvneshwar in the final over.
“We know what Bhuvi does for us; he has been doing it for years. Unless you give chances to guys like Avesh and Arshdeep you'll never know,” Rohit said.
“But it is just one game. They have the skills and the talent and it is all about backing them. I am really proud of the bowlers and the team. Targets such as these can get over in 13-14 overs but we dragged it to the last over. I thought the guys executed the plans and really happy with the way the guys bowled,” the Indian captain further said.
Bhuvneshwar conceded 12 runs off his 2 overs but Avesh proved expensive, conceding 31 runs in 2.2 overs; however, he did take the important wicket of Brandon King.
