India's Opening ODI vs West Indies: 2 Missteps and 1 Brilliant Move
Team India kick-started World Cup preparations in the Caribbean with a convincing five-wicket victory over the West Indies on Thursday, July 27.
Despite their disappointing performances in Zimbabwe last month, the home side could hardly put up a fight, scoring only 114 runs, with Shai Hope being the lone batter to cross the 25-run mark.
During the chase, Rohit Sharma and his teammates lost five wickets. Still, Ishan Kishan's standout performance helped them reach the target in the 23rd over, albeit with some uncertainty, marking a shaky but successful beginning to the series.
Team India made two mistakes in the first ODI against the West Indies and pulled off one masterstroke.
#3 India made a mistake by choosing to bowl first.
Team India was always expected to outmatch West Indies in the first ODI. The home side had been going through a rough patch across formats and would miss key players like Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder.
Despite being aware of this, Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper, won the toss and chose to bat first. He wanted his batsmen to gain valuable game time, as evident from the decisions made during the chase. However, he decided to have the Windies bat first.
It turned out to be an unconventional decision. India managed to bowl out West Indies for just 114 runs in 23 overs, with none of the Men in Blue's batsmen facing more than 50 balls. Only Ishan Kishan played more than 25 balls.
#2 Rohit Sharma and his team executed a masterstroke by successfully achieving their goal of providing game time.
India made some bold decisions during the match, and despite the relatively low total, some of these choices can't be faulted, similar to the decision made at the toss.
Suryakumar Yadav got an excellent opportunity to find form in ODI cricket. He was sent in at No. 3, followed by Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, who usually bat lower in the lineup. Though Pandya and Jadeja didn't have a significant impact with the bat, they faced challenging conditions on the field.
Interestingly, Rohit and Virat Kohli, who were guaranteed to be part of India's top three during the World Cup, were demoted in the batting order. The skipper, Kohli, came in at No. 7 but didn't even get a chance to bat.
However, not all of India's in-game decisions proved to be smart…
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#1 India made a mistake by choosing Ishan Kishan as the opening player and not opting for Sanju Samson.
Shubman Gill will be Rohit's opening partner at the World Cup. In this situation, India must ensure their wicketkeeper plays in the middle order.
The contenders for the wicket-keeper role are Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. Rishabh Pant is out of the international cricket scene, and KL Rahul is recovering from a troublesome thigh injury. In the first ODI against the Windies, India chose to go with Ishan Kishan.
Sanju Samson has an impressive average of over 60 in his short ODI career and has shown comfort against swing and spin bowling. On the other hand, Ishan Kishan's performance has been inconsistent due to some technical limitations. Despite this, India picked Kishan.
Not only did they include Kishan in the team, but they also had him open the batting. This decision contradicts one of the key reasons in favor of Kishan over Samson - his ability as a left-hander, which could have added a different dimension to the middle order.
During his innings, Kishan faced a fair amount of spin bowling, but the Windies predominantly bowled pace during the opening powerplay when the opener was settling in. He may not face such situations if he remains part of India's full-strength squad.
Kishan's impressive performance and the way he scored runs were encouraging signs. However, the question remains whether he should be preferred over Samson and whether he should open the batting.
Conclusion -
In the first ODI against West Indies, India made two mistakes and one masterstroke. Despite those ups and downs, cricket fans can stay on top of all the action with the Fast Live Line app and website. This live match app provides real-time updates, ensuring you never miss a moment of your favorite cricket matches. Become a "live line guru" with the Fast Live Line app and enjoy the thrill of live cricket at your fingertips. Don't wait any longer; download the app now and experience cricket like never before!
