India returned to winning ways after a disappointing South Africa tour with an impressive six-wicket win over the West Indies in the opening ODI of the three-match series.
India returned to winning ways after a disappointing South Africa tour with an impressive six-wicket win over the West Indies in the opening ODI of the three-match series in Ahmedabad on Sunday. After winning the toss and opting to field, Indian bowlers dominated proceedings and ran through the visitors’ top order. Yuzvendra Chahal (4/49), Washington Sundar (3/30), Prasidh Krishna (2/29) and Mohammed Siraj (1/26) were in fine form as West Indies struggled to get going after being put into bat. On a spin-friendly pitch, Sundar and Chahal piled on the pressure on the visiting side and put India on the path to victory. In the chase, skipper Rohit Sharma built the foundation for a comfortable win for India.
Here is our report card of the India playing XI for the 1st ODI:
Rohit Sharma – 9/10, Very Good
The Indian white-ball skipper made all the right calls after putting the West Indies to bat, including important DRS calls that went India’s way. Rohit made the right bowling changes at just the right time and during the chase, didn’t give the visitors a sniff as he went on the attack from the word go.
Ishan Kishan – 7/10, Good
Opening the innings alongside Rohit, Ishan Kishan played a patient knock of 28 that, although not among his best knocks, complemented the Indian skipper well at the other end. Although Kishan failed to convert his promising start to a big knock, he did just about enough to provide the side a strong platform in the chase.
Virat Kohli – 3/10, Poor
The former India skipper had a forgettable outing with the bat as he departed for a score of 8 after just four deliveries. Eyeing his first international century since 2019, Kohli hit two boundaries before giving away his wicket rather easily to an Alzarri Joseph delivery. Kohli, however, did help send Shamarh Brooks back to the pavilion earlier in the day after convincing skipper Rohit to make the right DRS call.
Rishabh Pant – 6.5/10, Average
As far as his wicket-keeping duties are concerned, Pant didn’t put a foot wrong on Sunday. However, he ran short of luck while batting as he was dismissed via an unfortunate run out.
Suryakumar Yadav – 7.5/10, Good
Suryakumar displayed tremendous composure as he helped hold the Indian innings together with Deepak Hooda after Pant’s dismissal, ensuring that West Indies couldn’t pile any further pressure. He remained unbeaten on 34 and looked comfortable during his stay at the crease.
Deepak Hooda – 7/10, Good
On his ODI debut, Deepak Hooda combined well with Suryakumar and remained patient as he helped take the team past the final stretch after the dismissal of Pant. Hooda remained unbeaten on 26 and showed tremendous maturity while at the crease.
Washington Sundar – 9/10, Very Good
Making his India return after an injury lay-off that saw him miss the T20 World Cup last year, Washington Sundar made the most of the track in Ahmedabad as he generated enough turn to cause damage to the West Indies. Sundar finished with figures of 3/30 and helped escalate the collapse of the visitors’ innings.
Shardul Thakur – 4/10, Average
While Shardul didn’t concede many boundaries, West Indies kept the scoreboard ticking off his bowling. He was the least economical of the Indian bowlers as he went for 38 runs in seven overs and failed to bag a wicket.
Mohammed Siraj – 7/10, Good
Siraj gave India a near-perfect start with the early wicket of Shai Hope. That wicket lay the platform for the other bowlers to join in and wreck the West Indies’ batting line-up. Siraj was economical and kept a tight leash on the visitors’ run-rate.
Yuzvendra Chahal – 9/10, Very Good
Chahal proved he isn’t going anywhere with an impressive performance on Sunday. The experienced spinner demolished the opposition’s middle-order with three wickets in quick succession, ensuring no way back for the West Indies. Although he did concede 49 runs, those three wickets and the fourth wicket of tailender Alzarri Joseph were enough to guide India to victory.
Prasidh Krishna – 8/10, Very Good
India’s most economical bowler with figures of 2/29 from his 10 overs, Prasidh Krishna got the key wicket of Jason Holder, who scored a fighting knock of 57. Krishna had earlier removed Akeal Hosein for a duck. The 25-year-old pacer was disciplined throughout his 10 overs and made the opposition work for every run.