IND vs WI, 1st T20I: Rohit half-century, Karthik cameo take India to 190 for 6

The Indian captain has changed his game since the England T20s, and provided glimpses of his vintage self with some breathtaking shots on way to a 64 off 44 balls

Skipper Rohit Sharma was in his element while Dinesh Karthik provided the final flourish as India scored a competitive 190 for six against the West Indies in the first T20 International on Friday.

The Indian captain who endured a barren spell in the shortest format since the IPL, has changed his game since the England T20s, and provided glimpses of his vintage self with some breathtaking shots on way to a 64 off 44 balls.

Karthik, the team’s designated finisher, justified his billing with a blazing, unbeaten 19-ball 41 cameo, as 52 runs came off the last four overs in a seventh-wicket stand with Ravichandran Ashwin (13 not out).

On a track where there was slow spongy bounce, most of the top-order batters were dismissed playing poor shots, even as the skipper carried on at the other end for his 27th half-century in this format.

In the process, he reclaimed his position as the highest run-getter (3443 runs) in T20Is from Martin Guptill (3399 runs).

His innings had seven fours and two sixes - a lofted shot dancing down the track off Jason Holder and a short-arm pull off Alazarri Joseph.

There were some delectable boundaries too -- a back-cut, a cover drive and a deliberate glide over short third-man to enthral a sizeable Indian crowd present at the Brian Lara Stadium.