In the first ODI match of the India tour of West Indies 2023, India defeated West Indies by wickets at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown in Barbados.
India won the toss and elected to bowl first. Indeed it proved to be the right decision as the Indian bowling unit bundled the home side for just 114 runs in 23 overs. Massive credits for this go to some exceptional bowling acts by Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.
In the chase, management thought of giving the youngsters some opportunity to commence the chase and certainly to take it till conclusion as well. Ishan Kishan (52) did pounce on this chance as he scored a well-deserved fifty on a difficult track. With seven fours and one six, the southpaw took the game to the end and only lost his wicket before knowing he had done his job. While Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya lost their wicket cheaply, Suryakumar Yadav (19) made a few runs to secure the game. Towards the end, Ravindra Jadeja (16) was firm on one side while skipper Rohit Sharma (12) eventually joined him to take India over the finish line.
The home side while batting in the first innings only tried one way of scoring. But before they realised that it was not working for them, it got too late. Opener Brandon King (17) scored a few runs at the start and with him, Alick Athanaze (22) also got a few runs under his belt. Skipper Shai Hope (43) was the highest run-getter in the inning but it was still not enough. None of the other batters even manage to outplay any Indian bowler. WI got all out in just 23 overs and certainly, fans knew they won’t have to stay up late at night to watch this game till the end.
It was a good day for spinners in Barbados as both Jadeja and Kuldeep scalped seven wickets overall, the most by any Indian spin duo. While Kuldeep took four wickets, Jadeja also showcased his skills and grabbed three. Vice-captain Pandya, debutant Mukesh Kumar and Shardul Thakur also got one wicket each.
For WI with the ball, Gudakesh Motie took two wickets while one wicket each was grabbed by Jayden Seales and Yannic Cariah.
For his amazing bowling show, Kuldeep Yadav was adjudged Player of the Match. Following this win, India are now one up in this three-match ODI series.
Scorecard:
West Indies: 114/10, Overs 23, Shai Hope 43, Kuldeep Yadav 4/6
India: 118/5, Overs 22.5, Ishan Kishan 52, Gudakesh Motie 2/26