Seales Impresses Early as Rohit, Gill Dig In

News Desk 

Islamabad: India made a cautious start against the West Indies, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill navigating a disciplined spell from Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph.

Seales produced an impressive early delivery to Gill in the second over, beating the batter outside the edge with a sharp 137.6kph delivery that nipped away from the length around off.

Gill responded soon after, finding the boundary with a well-timed whip over mid-wicket off the inner half of the bat. He later added singles through third man and deep square leg to keep the scoreboard moving.

Joseph also kept the Indian batters under pressure with his pace and accuracy. Gill survived a near-perfect yorker in the third over, edging it towards third man for a single.

Rohit then opened his account with a couple of runs off Joseph, lofting a fullish delivery over mid-off before returning for two. He also worked the ball into the leg side for singles.

Seales continued to test Rohit with deliveries around the off stump. The Indian opener was beaten while attempting a lofted shot through the line and later missed a pull after stepping down the track.

By the end of the fifth over, Rohit and Gill had shown patience against the West Indies attack, with the bowlers maintaining pressure through tight lines and lengths.

The outfield had also been treated with anti-dew agent, with little dew reported so far.