Captain of the West Indies cricket team Kieron Pollard, following the series loss to India, said that they failed to execute what they had planned and that eventually led to the 1-2 less in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday night.
Having won the toss, West Indies put India to bat first. The home team put up a total of 240 for three, riding on sensational knocks by KL Rahul – 91 runs, Rohit Sharma – 71 runs and skipper Virat Kohli – an unbeaten 70. In reply, West Indies could manage only 173 for 8 as India sealed the match and the series comfortably.
“They scored 240. I thought we didn’t execute as we wanted. Yes they got off to a good start but we got a couple of wickets where we got back into the game. But when we came back in that scenario we didn’t execute properly. That has been the story this series in terms of where we need to improve,” Pollard told reporters.
“We chased big totals before. We chased 230 against South Africa, we chased a big total here in 2016, 220 has been chased at this ground so it was not impossible. But then to lose Evin Lewis didn’t help our cause. Everyone else had to go in and put in that extra effort but we faltered at the end,” he said.
Despite losing the series, the newly appointed skipper looked to pick up the positives from the loss.
“I thought as a batting unit throughout the series, we have been consistent. Again scores of 200, 170, 170-odd, has been a must for us as a team in the last 12-18 months or so. Again positive step in right direction,” he said. “The guys showed positive intent and we didn’t get over the line tonight, but it was a big step for us throughout the series.”
Although India mostly lose all their games if they bat first, this one was an exception due to the huge number of runs put up on the board. The two teams will now play a three-match ODI series.
