Team India’s bid for a series sweep against West Indies was thwarted by rain on the final day of the second Test at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, in Trinidad. After setting an imposing target of 365 runs, India was on the cusp of another victory, but the persistent rain resulted in a drawn match. Captain Rohit Sharma expressed his frustration on social media with a viral tweet highlighting the missed opportunity.
India had already won the first Test in Dominica, and a series sweep against Kraigg Brathwaite’s men was well within reach. An impressive 98-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, followed by a maiden Test fifty from Ishan Kishan, allowed India to declare and set West Indies a challenging target. Ravichandran Ashwin bolstered India’s chances by taking two crucial wickets in his 11-over spell on Day 4.
Despite India’s dominance, rain played spoilsport on Day 5, with no play possible. This left West Indies relieved and India unfortunate, as the opportunity for a 2-0 clean sweep slipped away due to the inclement weather. India’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, expressed his team’s disappointment, as they were confident of clinching the series in style on the final day.
In response to the rain-marred match, Rohit Sharma took to Twitter on Tuesday morning and posted a thought-provoking three-word tweet: “Mumbai ya Trinidad.” By comparing the weather in the Caribbean and his hometown Mumbai, Rohit expressed his frustration at the missed chance for a series victory.
Mumbai ya Trinidad 🤔🌧️ pic.twitter.com/jOPINPXW4a
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 25, 2023
The drawn Test also impacted India’s standing in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. With the match ending in a stalemate, Pakistan claimed the top spot in the WTC standings after their victory against Sri Lanka in the 1st Test. India now stands second on the list, with their next campaign in December against South Africa in a two-match series.
During the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma expressed his disappointment at not being able to finish the series on a high note. He acknowledged India’s positive intent in setting a challenging target for West Indies to chase.
“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. You know how difficult it is batting last. We always wanted that kind of score where we wanted the opposition to go for it. There wasn’t much on the surface. No play today, unfortunate for us,” he said in the post-match presentation.
