Shai Hope (R) of West Indies congratulates Rohit Sharma (L) of India for winning the first One Day International (ODI) cricket match between West Indies and India, at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on July 27, 2023. Photo: AFP
India made it clear in the first ODI against West Indies in Bridgetown on Thursday that they would take the three-match ODI series as a way to test their middle-order ahead of the ODI World Cup later this year.
India, who won the preceding two-Test series 1-0, will look to seal the ODI series at the same venue on Saturday.
Left-arm spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja masterminded the rout of an abject West Indies team as India romped to a five-wicket victory with more than 27 overs to spare in the first game.
In what was clearly a bit of an audition for younger batting aspirants ahead of the World Cup, champion batter Virat Kohli did not feature while captain Rohit Sharma only appeared at the fall of the fifth wicket, that too after India lost three quick wickets at the end in their chase of a modest 114-run target.
Following the win, Rohit said that the team wanted to give the rest of the batters, particularly those who were not part of the Test team, some time in the middle which is why he and Kohli chose to not play in their regular positions. According to the Indian skipper, they will ‘keep trying those things’ whenever possible in the series.
“We wanted to give game time to the ODI guys who have come in, we will keep trying those things whenever possible. To restrict them to 115, we knew we could try these guys and give them a go. I don’t think they’ll get many chances like this,” Rohit said.
While India are expected to make adjustments in the batting line-up today, their bowling looks sorted at the moment. Kuldeep Yadav was phenomenal in the first ODI, picking up four wickets and the player-of-the-match award for his efforts while Ravindra Jadeja picked up three. The spinners will once again be key in their game today and it will be interesting if the team management brings up Yuzvendra Chahal in the mix as he can prove to be deadly.
When it comes to West Indies, there is a lot of room for improvement at the moment. Their batting unit once again failed to deliver and nothing seems going in their favour. Gudakesh Motie tried to create some sort of impact but the batters didn’t give him enough runs to defend. They lack a bit of motivation as well and hence, the team management will have to step up in order to bring some momentum back.
