In the first ODI match of the five-match series, West Indies defeated India by four runs at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad.
West Indies skipper Rovman Powell won the toss and elected to bat first. The decision turned out right as the team managed to reach the par score of 149/6. On a track where it was difficult to middle the ball, this score looked gold. Brandon King (28) began the innings well with four fours and one six which was then followed by Nicholas Pooran‘s (41) exceptional knock which helped the home side get through the middle overs. Along with him, skipper Powell (48) also hit a few balls out of the park. Nonetheless, both batters got out just before the dying overs which must have surely hurt the fans as these overs could have helped the home side get a few more runs.
In the chase, only the middle-order batters were able to score a few runs.
Suryakumar Yadav (21), Tilak Verma (39) and Hardik Pandya (19) were the only batters to get few runs. Sanju Samson and Axar Patel also contributed but it wasn’t enough. With 10 to get from the final over, India only managed to score five runs.
While defending, Jason Holder grabbed two wickets while just giving 19 runs away. Two wickets each were also taken by Obed McCoy and Romario Shepherd. Akeal Hosein also managed to claim one wicket.
For India with the ball, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal grabbed two wickets while Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav scalped one wicket each.
Jason Holder won the Player of the Match for his outstanding bowling show. Following this win, West Indies have now taken a lead in the five-match series by 1-0.
Scorecard:
West Indies: 149/6, Overs 20, Rovman Powell 48, Yuzvendra Chahal 2/24
India: 145/9, Overs 20, Tilak Varma 39, Jason Holder 2/19