IND vs WI 2021-22, 1st ODI: Rohit opts to bowl; Indians wear black armbands to mourn Lata Mangeshkar's demise

India is taking on Windies in the opening ODI on Sunday. Rohit Sharma has won the toss and opted to bowl. The Indians are wearing black armbands to mourn Lata Mangeshkar's demise.

India and Windies are colliding in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Indians are also wearing black armbands to mourn the death of legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar's demise.

During the toss, Rohit stated that the pitch would not change much as the match progresses and would be better to bat under the lights. He also expressed his happiness to be back for India after a couple of months of injury layoff, as he missed the South Africa tour. He also hailed the Indian teens for winning the ICC U-19 World Cup 2022 on Saturday night.

Rohit also mentioned that Indian cricket had witnessed many ups and downs of late, besides recalling that it has grown tremendously over the years, while the trend will continue. He also remembered that COVID cased in the camp brought some new faces back into the team. He also announced that Deepak Hooda would be making his debut.

As for the Windies, captain Kieron Pollard recorded, "The toss is 50-50. We have to assess the conditions and bat well. We have come out well and bring out the results. The guys have to adapt to different scenarios. We had a series a few days ago, so we need some mental adjustment. We need to bat long and rotate the strike. There are a couple of changes in the team. Roach and Allen are back. Darren hasn't played a game since last July, so it's an exciting phase for a few of these guys."

Before the start of play, the players will also mourn in a moment of silence to pay tribute to Lata. "In honour of #LataMangeshkar, our players in the match between India & West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad today will wear a black band. The National Flag to fly at half-mast," said Rajeev Shukla (BCCI vice-president), reports ANI.

Playing XI
IND: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj.
WI: Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk), Shamarh Brooks, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (c), Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach and Akeal Hosein.