In the First ODI between West Indies and India, the visitors secured a comfortable victory against the helpless West Indies. India won the toss and elected to bowl first. West Indies managed to score just 114 runs in 23 overs. India goes up 1-0 in the 3-match series. Kuldeep Yadav was the wrecker-in-chief who took a 4 wicket haul. Kuldeep Yadav bamboozled the batters with his variations
Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja restricted the West Indies to a below-par total of 114 runs in a 50-over match which was the lowest-ever home ODI total against India. The match was played at the Kensington Oval, Barbados, which will also host the second ODI. Indian pacer Mukesh Kumar made his ODI debut.
Top Performer of the Day
Kuldeep Yadav, who recorded the best-ever ODI figures (3-2-6-4) for India in the West Indies, never allowed the hosts to control the game. He was exceptionally good throughout his 3-over spell, which troubled the West Indies batters. He has been awarded the Player of the Match for his outstanding performance.
Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja took some very important wickets, including those of Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, and Romario Shepherd. He also broke the record for taking the most ODI wickets for India against the West Indies (44). Hardik Pandya, Mukesh Kumar, and Shardul Thakur each took one wicket, dismissing Kyle Mayers, Alick Athanaze, and Brandon King, respectively.
India’s experiment to promote Ishan Kishan as an opener hits the bullseye as he scored his 3rd ODI fifty. Ishan Kishan scored 53 runs off 46 balls with a strike rate of 113, which included 7 fours and one six.
India Won One-Sidedly
After beating West Indies by 5 wickets, India has now won nine straight ODIs against West Indies. Also, it was the very first instance of left-arm spinners (Kuldeep 4 and Jadeja 3) picking seven (or more) wickets in an ODI for India. 114 is the second lowest total recorded for West Indies vs India in ODIs. Moreover, this was the first time at Kensington Oval that a spinner took 10 wickets in a whole match at the same venue.
All the above stats suggest that India won a one-sided first ODI match against the hosts and will continue to dominate the whole series ahead. It’s hard times for West Indies cricket as things look very tough for them.
What to Expect in Next ODI
Rohit Sharma must be delighted with the clinical performances of his left-arm spinners. However, another left-arm orthodox spinner, Axar Patel, has been warming the bench since the start of the tour. To manage the workload of Jadeja, it is likely that Axar might get a chance to play in the 2nd ODI. Also, it is unlikely to see Sanju Samson playing, at least in the second ODI.
The second ODI is scheduled to be played on 29th July at the same venue, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. The match will start at 7:00 PM IST, with the toss at 6:30 PM.
Also Read: IND v WI: India Gears Up For World Cup Prep With ODI Series Against Resilient West Indies