India vs West Indies(Ind vs WI): Spinners shine as India win by 5 wickets
India started their ODI series against West Indies with a convincing five-wicket win at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Thursday. The visitors were led by their spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, who shared seven wickets between them to bundle out the hosts for a paltry 114 in 23 overs. India then chased down the target with 27.1 overs to spare, despite some hiccups along the way.
West Indies, who opted to bat first after winning the toss, got off to a shaky start as they lost opener Brandon King for 17 in the sixth over. Hardik Pandya, who returned to the ODI side after missing the Test series due to injury, struck with his first ball to remove King. The other opener, Kyle Mayers, followed soon after, falling to Shardul Thakur for 2.
The hosts then suffered a major blow when their captain and wicketkeeper Shai Hope was run out for 43, thanks to a brilliant direct hit from Rohit Sharma. Hope was the only batsman who showed some resistance, hitting four fours and a six in his 45-ball knock. His dismissal triggered a collapse as West Indies lost their last seven wickets for just 28 runs.
The main architect of the collapse was Kuldeep Yadav, who ran through the lower order with his left-arm wrist spin. The chinaman bowler finished with figures of 4 for 6 in three overs, his best in ODIs. He was well supported by Jadeja, who took 3 for 37 in six overs. The other wicket-takers were Pandya, Thakur and Umran Malik, who made his ODI debut.
India’s chase was not as smooth as they would have liked, as they lost wickets at regular intervals. Ishan Kishan, who opened the innings with Rohit Sharma, was the top-scorer with 52 off 46 balls. He hit seven fours and a six in his innings and added 53 runs for the second wicket with Shubman Gill, who made 7.
However, India lost three quick wickets after Kishan’s departure, as Suryakumar Yadav (19), Hardik Pandya (5) and Shardul Thakur (1) fell in succession. Jadeja (16 not out) and Rohit Sharma (12 not out) then steadied the ship and took India home with an unbroken stand of 25 runs.
The player of the match award went to Kuldeep Yadav for his outstanding bowling performance. He said that he was happy to contribute to the team’s win and thanked his captain and coach for backing him.
The second ODI of the three-match series will be played at the same venue on Saturday. India will be looking to seal the series with another win, while West Indies will be hoping to bounce back and level the series.