India and West Indies clashed in the opening encounter of the three-match ODI series in Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 6), a game that was quite special for the hosts as it was their 1000th match in the ODI format.
Rohit Sharma in his first ODI as full-time captain, won the toss and elected to bowl first keeping in mind the dew factor on the ground that often makes life difficult for the bowlers in the second innings. India handed a maiden cap to Deepak Hooda, who had previously been part of the squad five years ago without getting a chance to play.
West Indies slumped to 79/7 before eventually getting to 176 thanks to Jason Holder's 57, who added a partnership of 78 runs for the 8th wicket with Fabian Allen.
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Yuzvendra Chahal took 4/49, and completed his 100 ODI wickets with the wicket of Nicholas Pooran, becoming the fifth fastest Indian to the milestone in 60 matches. Next ball, he dismissed West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard for a golden duck.
Interestingly, former captain Virat Kohli had scripted the downfall of Pollard as he asked Chahal to bowl the googly by saying 'ulta wala daal' which was caught by the stump mic. Pollard had no clue at all to Chahal's delivery as he missed the ball to see his stumps shattered.
Kohli was seen jubilant after the plan came off successfully as he ran towards Rohit to celebrate the big wicket. The scenes also gladdened the Indian fans who were worried about the equation between the two star cricketers post the captaincy switch saga in the last couple of months.
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India eventually charged down the target in 28 overs for the loss of four wickets as Rohit top-scored with 60, while Suryakumar Yadav (34*), Ishan Kishan (28) and Deepak Hooda (26*) also played valuable knocks.
The hosts finally recorded their first win of 2022 after losing five matches (two Tests and three ODIs) in South Africa. The second ODI will be played on February 9.
