Images from the first One-Day International between India and the West Indies, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
New white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma hit a brisk fifty as India trounced the West Indies by six wickets in the first One-Day International of the three-match series, in Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
Returning to action after recovering from a hamstring injury, the dashing opener scored a 51-ball 60 as India chased down a paltry target of 176 in just 28 overs for a comfortable victory in the country’s 1000th ODI.
Ishan Kishan (28), Suryakumar Yadav (34 not out) and Deepak Hooda (26 not out) also made good contributions as the hosts won with much to spare.
Earlier, the spin duo Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar ran through a listless West Indies line-up.
Chahal (4 for 49 from 9.5 overs) and Sundar (3 for 30 from 9) wreaked havoc on a slow track as the West Indies batters -- save Jason Holder (57; 4x6) and Fabian Allen (29), whose 78-run stand for the eighth-wicket helped the team go past the 160-run mark -- made a beeline to the pavilion.
Put in to bat, the visitors lost opener Shai Hope (8; 2x4) cheaply, castled by Mohammed Siraj (1 for 26) in the third over, and were one down for just 13 runs.
Hope had hit Siraj for two successive boundaries but, on the next, his inside edge, while attempting a drive, shattered the middle and leg stump.
Brandon King (13;2x4) started with a boundary, and then was joined by one-down Darren Bravo (18 off 34 balls; 3x4). The two tried to resurrect the innings, but could only add 31 runs for the second wicket.
Bravo struck two boundaries off pacer Prasidh Krishna (2 for 29) in the sixth over, as the visitors crawled to 28 for 1 after six overs. The pair mixed caution and aggression as the West Indies was put up 39 for 1 after 10 overs.
But Sundar pegged back the visitors by removing King and Bravo in the 12th over as the West Indies slumped to 45 for 3.
Sundar first sent back King, who chipped a delivery to short mid-wicket where Suryakumar Yadav took an excellent catch.
He then trapped Bravo in front of the wicket with a straight and flat delivery.
Then Chahal took two wickets off successive deliveries in the 20th over. He dismissed hard-hitting batters Nicholas Pooran (18; 3x4), whom he trapped in front for his 100th ODI wicket, and Kieron Pollard (O) with a googly that knocked the rival skipper's off-stump.
The West Indies were in a spot of bother as they lost half the side for just 71.
Chahal was on the rampage as he then removed Shamarh Brooks (12), who edged one to stumper Rishabh Pant, as the West Indies were reduced to 78 for 6.
However, Holder and Allen fought back in an attempt to take the game deep. While Holder struck four sixes, Allen hit two boundaries before Sundar took a return catch off his bowling to send Allen back.
The team was eventually bundled out in 43.5 overs, Chahal dismissing last-man Alzarri Joseph for his fourth wicket.
It is the 10th time in last 16 games that the West Indies failed to bat their full 50 overs despite the presence of senior players like Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran.
After a brief middle-order wobble, Yadav and Hooda added 62 runs without much pressure to take the team home.
Just like the skipper, India also missed Rohit the batter in South Africa in equal measure and on his comeback there were no signs of any hamstring niggle as he smashed 10 fours and a six, adding 84 with stand-in opener Kishan.
Virat Kohli (8) started with two boundaries but holed out in the deep while Rishabh Pant was unfortunately run-out at the non-striker's end.
Rohit though was in his element, while young Kishan played second fiddle to perfection.
The former toyed with the West Indies attack, as the hosts were on course for a comfortable chase with the team’s fifty coming up in the ninth over.
Rohit was brutal on veteran Kemar Roach, hitting him for two fours and a maximum – his trademark pull shot, as India fetched 15 runs off the 10th over and raced to 67 without loss.
By the time Alzarri Joseph (2 for 45) trapped him leg-before, India were on their way to an easy win in a milestone game.
