Ravindra Jadeja celebrates a dismissal with Virat Kohli
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja on Sunday said it is very difficult to contain the duo of skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma when they are batting in full flow as the hosts chased down a stiff 323-run target with consummate ease.
Kohli (140) and Rohit (152 not out) shared a massive 246-run partnership for the second wicket as India mowed down the challenging target with 7.5 overs to spare and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series.
"If they are set, it's tough to get them out. They can hit groundstrokes and in the air with equal ease. It becomes tough against such batters," said Jadeja after India's commanding eight-wicket win.
"They played proper cricketing shots. They did not take any chances, they were just playing according the situation," said the left-arm spinner of Kohli and Rohit's 246-run partnership, the first-ever 200-plus run stand against the West Indies.
Jadeja returned with 2 for 66 run figures as West Indies put up a rampaging batting show after being sent in by Kohli.
He said the conditions were ideal for batting even as the hosts had apprehensions on how the wicket would behave while chasing the stiff target.
"Wicket was also very good to bat on. It was not spinning or swinging much. The ball was coming nicely to bat. It was an ideal condition for the batsmen," Jadeja said.
"After they scored 320-plus, we did not know how it will behave in the second half. But after the start we got following (Shikhar) Dhawan's wicket we thought we could chase it down. Overall it stayed true throughout the game," he said.
Jadeja said India decided against fielding three spinners because of the uncertainty factor of the wicket.
"We didn't know how the wicket would behave, this being the first ODI here. We thought three seamers will help to contain the batsmen in the power play," he said.
