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'We don't mind losing a few games trying out a few things because it is important to look at the long term goals.'
India captain Rohit Sharma says it was a one-off experiment to ask Rishabh Pant open the innings and not a permanent solution as his team is trying new combinations to sort out the batting order before the 2023 World Cup.
Regular opener Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal are still not available, as Pant walked out to open the innings for the first time in ODIs. He scored 18 off 34 balls while batting alongside Rohit (5) in the second ODI against the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
"I have been asked to do different things, so this was different. People will be happy seeing Rishabh open then, but yeah it is not permanent," Rohit said at the post match presentation.
"We will get Shikhar (Dhawan) back next game, and he needs some game time. It is not always the results. We wanted to try it one game.
"We don't mind losing a few games trying out a few things because it is important to look at the long term goals. We will see what works out well for the team combination."
India clinched a series win over the West Indies after pacer Prasidh Krishna tore through the tourists' top order on Wednesday, taking four wickets to lead India to a 44-run victory in the second ODI.
Building on their six-wicket win over the West Indies in the opening ODI on Sunday, India defended a modest total of 237-9 to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
"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. 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."
The Mumbaikar was awestruck by the sensational spell of Krishna, who was adjudged Player of the Match for his sensational spell of four wickets for 12 just runs in nine overs, which included three maidens.
"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," Rohit said.
"The others complimented him. When you have five bowlers and Deepak (Hooda) being sixth, you always need to keep rotating the bowlers."
Ecstatic after his four-wicket haul, Krishna said he was rewarded for maintaining his line and length in seaming conditions.
"I have been striving hard to do this for a long time. So, I am very happy that we won. I was still looking to hit the good areas. When I came in to bat, I knew it was still seaming," he said
"I would have laughed it off (if someone would have told him he would finish with the figures he ended with today). I had seen the wicket in the last game.
"Experimenting wasn't possible as there was not much to defend. So, I stuck to good lines. I want to be as consistent as possible. The white ball cricket is a power game," he said.