Rohit Sharma-led India registered a comprehensive win over West Indies in the first ODI on a pitch that favoured spinners. Left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav took seven wickets combined to bundle out West Indies for 114 which was chased down by visitors with five wickets in hand and 163 balls to spare, their biggest win on Caribbean soil in terms of balls remaining.
Rohit won the toss and opted to field first at Kensington Oval Bridgetown, Barbados. Hardik Pandya opened the bowling and debutant Mukesh Kumar started off with a maiden. Pandya struck in his second over as Kyle Mayers threw his wicket away. Alick Atahanaze attacked but his stay at the crease was ended by a brilliant catch at point by Jadeja. He became Mukesh's maiden ODI wicket. In the next over, Brandon King got bowled by Shardul Thakur.
In the 12th over, Rohit introduced Jadeja into the attack. Jadeja struck in his third over as Shimron Hetmyer got out bowled. In his next over, Jadeja got rid of both Rovman Powell and Romario Shephered. Kuldeep was introduced into the attack in the next over and trapped Dominic Drakes in front of the stumps. He followed it up with a wicket-maiden. West Indies skipper Shai Hope was the ninth batter to fall. Hope scored 43 runs from 45 balls. He got out lbw as well. In the same over, Kuldeep dismissed Jayden Seales to bundle out West Indies for 114.
Kuldeep finished with a four-fer from just three overs. Kuldeep and Jadeja combined to take seven wickets, the most by an Indian pair of left-arm spinners in an ODI innings. Also, 114 is West Indies’ lowest ODI total at home against India. This is the first time India have dismissed a side for less than 25 overs of an ODI in the first innings.
Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan came out to open. Gill's rough patch continued as he got out for a single-digit score in the fourth over to Seales. Suryakumar Yadav got promoted up the order. He hit a few boundaries but never looked settled in the middle. Meanwhile, Kishan played a composed knock. In the 11th over, he got out lbw to Gudakesh Motie in an attempt to sweep. Suryakumar scored 19 runs from 25 balls including three fours and one six.
Pandya got promoted up the order as well. Unforuntaely, he got run out as Yannic Cariah deflected Kishan's shot to non-striker's end. Kishan got to his half-century from 44 balls but he could not finish the match. Kishan got caught at deep mid-wicket off Motie's bowling. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 52 runs from 46 balls including seven fours and one six. After Kishan's wicket, Thakur came out to bat but got caught at second slip. Rohit finished the run chase in the 23rd over with a boundary as India took a 1-0 lead in three-ODI series.
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