India took on Windies in the opening ODI in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The host rode to a comfortable six-wicket win. Consequently, netizens applauded the team's efforts.
Team India came up with an excellent all-round performance to tame Windies by six wickets in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. As India draws first blood, it also finished its 1,000th ODI on a high. In the same light, the netizens expressed their happiness and applauded the team's efforts.
Winning the toss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opted to bowl, while Deepak Hooda made his debut. Although Windies lost Shai Hope (8) early, with just 13 runs on the board by the third over, the top-order and the middle-order tried hard but was not ideally impressive. As wickets kept falling regularly, the visitors struggled at 79/7 in the 23rd over.
Morning: India's one thousandth ODI
Night: India's won thousandth ODI 😊
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However, all-rounder Jason Holder (57) and Fabian Allen (29) put on a 78-run stand for the eighth wicket to give the Windies a glimmer of hope to post a defendable total, as it was the former's tenth ODI half-century. Nevertheless, it could not last long, as spinner Washington Sundar got rid of the latter at 157 in the 38th, followed by the former to pacer Prasidh Krishna ten runs later in the 41st. Alzarri Joseph (13) was the final man to fall in the 44th to spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, as WI could manage 176.
India becomes the first team to play 1000 men's ODIs.
Among all full-member teams at the time when ODIs began, India was ironically the last team to play their maiden ODI match (v ENG in 1974).
Chahal was the best performer for India, claiming a four-for, while pacer Mohammed Siraj was heavily economical. In reply, India was off to an impressive start, with the openers contributing to an 84-run stand. After opener Rohit brought up his 43rd ODI half-century, he fell in the 14th to pacer Joseph, followed by Virat Kohli (8) in the same over, nine runs later.
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Venkatesh Iyer earlier. Hooda today. Kinda impossible to create all-rounders if they won’t get to bowl…Or…perhaps, selectors are picking players as all-rounders but the team management has little or no faith in their bowling abilities.
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash)India lost fellow opener Ishan Kishan (28) and Rishabh Pant (11) quickly by the 18th, at 116. Nonetheless, Suryakumar Yadav (34*) and Hooda (26*) got the job done by the 28th over, thus winning by six wickets. For the Windies, Joseph claimed a couple, while spinner Akeal Hosein was its most economical bowler.
Brief scores: WI 176 in 43.5 overs (Holder- 57; Chahal- 4/49, Sundar- 3/30) lost to IND 178/4 in 28 overs (Rohit- 60; Joseph- 2/45) by six wickets.