There were a few hiccups here and there, but India won the opening T20I against West Indies at the Eden Gardens on Sunday by five wickets in the end and skipper Rohit Sharma believes that the bowlers need to be credited for putting up a spirited show and using the conditions perfectly.

“Exceptional performance with the ball. Was a lot on offer for the seamers. Even with spinners, it wasn’t easy. Overall there was little bit for every department. To start with, we bowled well - good areas. Used the conditions perfectly,” he smiled.

Asked about the chase which looked too close for comfort on a couple of occasions, Rohit said that the team knew that it wasn’t going to be easy as there was a bit of help in the wicket for the bowlers and it was all about spending quality time in the middle.

“Knew the chase wasn’t going to be easy. Hopefully we can learn from these mistakes. Oshane Thomas is a really exciting talent. If he bowls in good areas, it’s not going to be easy for batsmen to counter it. The advantage of height gives him that extra edge. Wish him the best in the future but not against us,” he said.

Rohit was all praise for the two Indian debutants in Khaleel Ahmed and Krunal Pandya. In fact, the skipper revealed that Krunal wanted to bowl when Kieron Pollard came to the crease and that shows the kind of fearless attitude that the current lot has.

“Very exciting talents again — Krunal and Khaleel. Krunal — I’ve seen him closely in last two-three years for MI. When he came into bowl, Pollard was batting. He was the one who wanted to bowl against him. These guys are ready to take those challenges. Exciting for the captain when you see that. If they continue to work on their skills, India’s going to benefit for sure,” he said.

First Published: Nov 05, 2018 08:45 IST