"I never thought the pitch would play like that, it was the team's need to bowl first and have a score. The pitch had everything for seamers and spinners, our guys did well to restrict them to that score. 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. I made my debut for India and was batting at number seven, which reminded me of those days. Mukesh was brilliant; he can swing the ball at good pace. Good to see what he can offer, haven't seen him much in domestic cricket. No matter the conditions, we need to bowl in the right areas to restrict them and I thought our bowlers did that brilliantly. And then Ishan was good with the bat as well."
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"Not too many words come to mind. We didn't play the way we needed to, we need to find ways to score on difficult pitches like this. I'm not making excuses but anyone watching cricket can see what is happening here. He (Alick Athanaze) is a quality player, somebody we can invest in and I hope he grows from strength to strength. The Indian bowlers did well on this surface, but we didn't bat well."
"Perfect, the fast bowlers bowled really well with Mukesh, Shardul and Hardik. Me and Jaddu were brilliant, we hit the right lengths which is what was necessary on this wicket. I'm just focusing on my rhythm, hitting the right lengths and it has been very nice. I thought it would be a seamy paradise, we are happy we got seven wickets from our side. It was spinning a bit, and there was bounce as well."
India did all the weird things in the second innings but have eventually got the job done. Rohit Sharma walked out to bat at No. 7 and had to be the one to get India over the line alongside Ravindra Jadeja. West Indies could only get 114, but it was what happened in between that caught everyone's attention. Ishan Kishan was asked to open the batting with Shubman Gill and the former did make it count, slamming 52 off 46. That ploy did work, but the other didn't. SKY, Gill, Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur all failed to impress with the bat and got out cheaply. It was Rohit and Jadeja who got India over the line, while Virat Kohli didn't even come to bat.
India win the first ODI by five wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Rohit Sharma has finally walked out to bat, that too at No. 5. Shardul Thakur dabs one straight to the second slip and gives Yannic Cariah his first wicket. He then starts talking to the umpire saying there was some disturbance near the sightscreen but the umpire asks him to leave. India are five down and they would now want to wrap this up.
Thakur c Athanaze b Cariah 1(4)
He just wanted to finish the game as soon as possible, but has ended up hitting one straight to the fielder at deep mid-wicket. Gudakesh Motie gets his second and Kishan departs after finishing his half-century. Charged down the track but failed to get the right connection.
Kishan c Powell b Motie 52(46)
WOW, SHARDUL THAKUR HAS WALKED OUT AHEAD OF ROHIT SHARMS AND VIRAT KOHLI.
Ishan Kishan is the only one who has cashed in on being promoted up the order. The wicketkeeper-batter gets to his fourth ODI fifty off 44 deliveries. Seven fours and a six already, Kishan would want to finish the job as soon as possible.
That's an unfortunate way to get out. Ishan Kishan whacked one straight to Yannic Cariah and the legspinner failed to collect it. The ball hit his hand and hit the stumps at the non-striker's end. Hardik Pandya's bat was in the air and the third umpire ruled him out. It looked like his bat was touching the ground when it came inside the line and then went up. Doesn't matter, he is gone for 5.
Pandya run out (Cariah) 5(7)
SKY kept sweeping Gudakesh Motie and has paid the price, getting pinned right in front of stumps. This one didn't turn and stayed on the stump line. This was the fourth time SKY went for the sweep and failed to make any connection. That looked out from the start. SKY did review it but the replays suggested the same.
Suryakumar lbw b Motie 19(25)
Suryakumar Yadav would want to pounce on this opportunity after being dismissed for three golden ducks against Australia. The top-ranked T20I batter has started well today, including his trademark pick-up over deep backward square leg for a maximum. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan too is looking steady and has slammed four boundaries so far.
S̶t̶r̶a̶i̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶o̶o̶k̶@surya_14kumar#INDvWIonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/ggXGyw4D7b
— FanCode (@FanCode) July 27, 2023
Shubman Gill's tour is going from bad to worse. Didn't have a great Test series and has now perished for just 7 in the first ODI. A typical fifth stump line and Gill poked at it, only to get an outside edge and King took a good low catch at second slip.
Gill c King b Seales 7(16)
Wait a second, SKY has now been promoted to No. 3.
Oh, Rohit Sharma himself hasn't been in great form in white-ball cricket but has sent Ishan Kishan to open the innings. The left-hander is not only the back-up wicketkeeper once KL Rahul returns but is also likely to be the back-up opener. Dominic Drakes started well but bowl one short and Kishan slapped it towards deep square leg for a boundary. With Kishan and Shubman Gill, this could get over pretty quickly.
Oh boy, this was terrible from West Indies. The hosts have been bundled out with 27 overs to spare. You know why they didn't qualify for the World Cup, just look at this innings and you will know. Kuldeep Yadav was the last one to be introduced into the attack but finished with the most number of wickets. He took 4/6, while Ravindra Jadeja claimed 3/37. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, Mukesh Kumar and Shardul Thakur took one each.
Asked to bat first, Kyle Mayers was dismissed in the third over but Brandon King (17) and Alick Athanaze (22) batted with a positive intent and put on 38 runs for the second wicket. Once the two perished, West Indies lost wickets and regular intervals. Shai Hope (45-ball 43) stuck around before finally running out of patience. This should be an easy chase for India. We will be back soon.
#QuickByte: Lowest totals for West Indies in ODIs against India ⬇️
— Cricket.com (@weRcricket) July 27, 2023
104 in 2018 (Thiruvananthapuram)
114 in 2023 (Bridgetown)*
121 in 1997 (Port of Spain)
123 in 1993 (Eden Gardens)
126 in 1991 (Perth)
129 in 2009 (Johannesburg)#WIvIND #WIvsIND
With so much happening at the other end, it was difficult to remember that Shai Hope was still around but even he now has to walk back in the hut. Can't really blame him though. Had to try something to keep the scoreboard moving but it's Kuldeep Yadav who had got the better of him. The West Indies skipper went for the reverse sweep but Kuldeep went full and Hope made no connection with the bat. Went for the review but that was always going to hit the stumps.
Hope lbw b Kuldeep 43(45)
West Indies batters were never going to read Kuldeep Yadav off his hands and the left-arm wristspinner has now taken two wickets in no time. That looked out but the umpire didn't agree and Rohit went for the review straightaway. Yannic Cariah missed the wrong'un and was hit in front of the off-stump. The replays showed it would have gone on to hit the middle stump.
Cariah lbw b Kuldeep Yadav 3(9)
Now Kuldeep Yadav joins the party. The left-arm wristspinner comes into the attack and strikes in his very first over. A wrong'un and Dominic Drakes had no clue how to tackle it. Took a massive stride to defend the ball but missed the line and got pinned right in front of the stumps.
Drakes lbw b Kuldeep Yadav 3(5)
West Indies are six down and this game could get over pretty quickly. That was some catch from Virat Kohli at second slip. Dived to his right and took a one-handed stunner to send Romario Shepherd back in the hut. Slightly fuller from the left-armer and the batter went with hard hands, gets a thick edge and Kohli completes the rest.
Shepherd c Kohli b Jadeja 0(2)
King Grab 🦀@imVkohli pulls off a stunner 😱#INDvWIonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/ozvuxgFTlm
— FanCode (@FanCode) July 27, 2023
The left-arm spinner didn't start well but has now found his rhythm and got two wickets in no time. Rovman Powell gets in an awkward position, gets an outside edge and Shubman Gill takes a sharp catch at first slip. The right-handed batter couldn't handle the turn and tried to defend it away from his body and paid the price.
Powell c Gill b Jadeja 4(4)
Shimron Hetmyer, who is making his comeback to the West Indian setup, has just shot himself in the foot. After a steady start, the left-hander decided enough is enough, and throws his wicket away against Ravindra Jadeja. The left-hander moves in a desperate attempt to play the paddle, and ends up missing a simple straight delivery.
Jadeja doesn't do anything different, he just bowls at the stumps, and it hits the leg stump. The left-hander walks out after having scored just 11 off 19 deliveries. Shai Hope, at the other end, is quite confused. Almost in an attempt to ask him why?
Hetmyer b Jadeja 11(19)
Ravindra Jadeja and Umran Malik haven't been able to keep the pressure on West Indies and have leaked 30 runs in the last three overs. There have been too many bad deliveries and West Indies have scored these runs with utmost ease. Too many easy runs on offer.
Time for some spin and Ravindra Jadeja has been introduced into the attack. The left-arm spinner, however, bowls two wides and a no-ball and starts his spell with a nine-run over. Shimron Hetmyer failed to pounce on free hit. West Indies are scoring at a good rate but will need some sort of partnership from Shai Hope and Hetmyer.
This is what he does, Shardul Thakur will leak runs but will also get you wickets. Don't ask us how. Hit the length and the ball came back slightly in and Brandon King ended up playing all around it. The ball went under his bat and castled the middle stump. West Indies have now lost three wickets inside the first powerplay.
There it is, Mukesh Kumar gets his maiden ODI wicket and he has Ravindra Jadeja to thank to. Wasn't a great delivery though. There was width on offer and Athanaze sliced it towards backward point when Jadeja timed his jump to perfection and grabbed it with both hands. Was a sharp catch but nothing that would excite someone like Jadeja. Too easy for him! Athanaze was looking good but will have to perish after scoring 22 off 18.
That was a very poor first over from Shardul Thakur. Rohit Sharma took Hardik Pandya out of the attack and gave the ball to Thakur and the right-arm seamer conceded 12 runs in his first overs. Two deliveries down the leg to Alick Athanaze and the young left-hander had little trouble sending past the fence. The hosts are now scoring at almost six runs per over.
Alick Athanaze, who looked impressive in his debut Test series earlier this month, has started well in his second ODI as well. The left-hander slammed Hardik Pandya for a six and four and probably that will give West Indies some momentum. The one on the pads was whipped away over deep square leg before the next half-volley was driven through the extra cover region.
In ODIs since 2022, Kyle Mayers has averaged 22.2 against pacers when bowled on the back of a length/short.
This was always on the cards. It has taken Kyle Mayers just nine deliveries to lose his patience and the left-hander has thrown his wicket away only in the third over. Hardik Pandya and Mukesh Kumar kept bowling back-of-a-length deliveries to Mayers and the opener tried to dance down the track and go down the ground, but ended up mistiming it straight to the fielder at mid-on. Just the start India wanted.
Despite having Mukesh Kumar, Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik in the XI, Rohit Sharma has given the first over to Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder can move the ball both ways and starts the over with pretty good line and length. Just one ball under Brandon King's bat and the right-hander drove it through the cover region for a boundary. Kyle Mayers is the other opener for West Indies.
Alright, so no Sanju Samson. India have gone with Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan will keep wickets. Mukesh Kumar is making his ODI debut and will have Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya as company in the fast-bowling department. Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are the two spinners.
Rohit Sharma - "We are going to field first, no particular reason. We are going to try a few different things. We want to head into the World Cup with a clear mindset. For us, the results are also important. At times, we are going to try out different players but the results are important for us. We have got four seamers and two spinners."
Shai Hope - "Every series means a lot, every game is important and we want to do our best. We have got some quality spinners as well. We will try to put up a good score on the surface. There will be a bit moisture and we need to be bat carefully in the beginning."
Playing XIs
India - Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.
West Indies - Shai Hope (c & wk), Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Yannic Cariah, Dominic Drakes, Jayden Seales, Gudakesh Motie.
Mukesh Kumar, who made his Test debut in the second Test last week, is making his ODI debut tonight. India are without Mohammed Siraj and it will be interesting to see who partners Mukesh.
News from Barbados - Mukesh Kumar is all set to make his ODI debut for #TeamIndia 👏👏#WIvIND pic.twitter.com/TfbHMnv7in
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 27, 2023
West Indies cricket is at an all-time high low. They just were trashed mercilessly by India at home in the two-match Test series. It followed their dose of public humiliation when they were knocked out of the 2023 ODI World Cup, having failed to seal themselves a qualification spot in the main event. But anyone following Windies cricket will know that it was bound to happen.
In the last three years, Windies have won just three series - one against Sri Lanka and the other two against the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. Shimron Hetmyer returns, and so does Oshane Thomas, giving the Men in Maroon some sort of familiarity. But now they have a point to prove, against India, one of the strongest opponents in the format.
Why is Umran Malik in the squad? That’s perhaps one of the biggest takeaways and questions from the squad announcement. And if anything, the queries are justified. Umran didn't do a lot to help his cause in the 2023 IPL for the Sunrisers, where he looked like one of the worst bowlers on their roster. In 120 deliveries that he bowled, Umran conceded 217 runs, averaging 43.40 with an economy rate of 10.85. It is also true that India are following a hierarchy, but even then, Umran averages 27.30, conceding runs at 6.45 in ODIs.
It is all but confirmed that Ravindra Jadeja will be India’s first-choice spin all-rounder, even in the presence of a tough competitor in Axar Patel. Jadeja’s form in this year’s IPL has been such that he pips Axar purely on the basis of his bowling. But oddly, there still could be a possibility where India could feature both - considering how Axar took on responsibility - with the bat. The question, though, lies elsewhere, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal or just Chahal?
Since the start of 2022, both Chahal and Kuldeep have played the same number of games and bowled similar number of overs and Kuldeep has edged the leg-spinner with 27 wickets. However, in this year’s IPL, Chahal showed something new to his white-ball prowess when he was responsible for bowling at the death. Chahal picked up 11 wickets at the death and was the best spinner in the 2023 IPL. But Kuldeep picked up just the one wicket at the death but showed his worth across the other phases of play. So, will India pick a starting lineup that has Jadeja and KulCha or Jadeja and Kul/Cha?
It's been four months since India played an ODI and the last time they were involved in a 50-over series, the Men in Blue lost to Australia at home. Had it been any other year, perhaps this series would have been a dead rubber, given how West Indies’ cricketing standards have fallen from a cliff. But in a World Cup year, any practise against any opposition is often good, especially considering the absence of several stars such as Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer.
West Indies have failed to qualify for the 50-over event later this year, but the fact that they will be looking to bounce back sharply gives India hope of a good contest. The last time when India visited the Caribbean in a three-match ODI series, Shubman Gill, the ODI superstar, was born. India would be hopeful that they unearth more stars this time around.
There are some visible questions for India, who makes up the middle-order in Iyer, Rahul and Pant’s absence, which wrist spinner takes up the role of an attacking spinner, and which pacer can take advantage of the various injuries to edge themselves over the others. In that regard, all eyes will be on Umran Malik, who has been named in the squad despite a poor run in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Here's Aakash Sivasubramaniam's match preview.
Test Cricket ✅
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 26, 2023
On to the ODIs 😎📸#TeamIndia | #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/2jcx0s4Pfw
