Rohit Sharma, WIvsIND. (Photo Source: Rohit Sharma/ Twitter)
In what could have been a thrilling victory for Team India at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, rain played spoilsport, resulting in a drawn Test match against West Indies. After a convincing win in the series opener in Dominica, India were on the brink of asserting their dominance in the 2023/25 WTC points table with a clean sweep against Kraigg Brathwaite’s side. However, the weather had different plans, denying India the opportunity.
The match had witnessed some remarkable performances from the Indian side, setting up the prospect of a win. In the second innings, a brilliant 98-run opening partnership between skipper Rohit Sharma and young prodigy Yashasvi was followed by a maiden Test fifty from Ishan Kishan, enabling India to set West Indies a formidable target of 365 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin then further bolstered India’s chances with twin strikes, dismissing the West Indies captain and Kirk McKenzie at the close of Day 4.
As Day 5 dawned, hopes were high for an Indian victory, but the relentless rain continued to pour, washing out the entire day’s play. For West Indies, this was a relief, while for India, it was an unfortunate turn of events that prevented them from securing a 2-0 clean sweep in the series.
Day 5 began with strong expectations for an Indian victory, but the persistent rain lasted all day and disrupted the game. West Indies were relieved, but a misfortune prevented India from winning the series 2-0.
In the aftermath of the rain-marred draw, Indian captain Rohit Sharma took to Twitter to express his disappointment and draw a humorous comparison between the weather in the Caribbean and his home city, Mumbai. His tweet “Mumbai ya Trinidad” went viral on social media, resonating with fans worldwide.
Mumbai ya Trinidad 🤔🌧️ pic.twitter.com/jOPINPXW4a
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 25, 2023
Reflecting on the match, Rohit admitted that the team was confident of sealing the victory on Day 5 before rain intervened. The drawn Test also caused India to slip to the second position in the WTC points table, with Pakistan taking the top spot after their triumph against Sri Lanka in the 1st Test. I
“We gave it a good shot, unfortunately we couldn’t get any play today. We actually went out with a positive intent yesterday. Rain had its final say. We were quite confident,” Rohit said in a post-match presentation.