India beat West Indies by 5 wickets in first ODI to start the three-match series on a positive note. However, the Indian fans were left frustrated by the quality of cricket on offer as well as the margin of victory. Chasing just 115 runs to win the match, India completed the task in 22.5 overs. But they ended up losing five wickets. India captain Rohit Sharma demoted himself to number 7 while Virat Kohli did not even get a chance to bat as management wanted to give the likes of Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav the opportunity to have more balls in the middle.
Also Read | ‘They Are Destroying Sanju Samson’s Career’: India Fans Fume As RR Batter’s IGNORED Again In IND Vs WI ODI
The decision backfired as India lost five wickets while chasing 115. Kishan scored a fifty before he departed. But Gill had a poor outing with the score of 7 off 16 balls. Suryakumar Yadav, batting at No 3, showed glimpses of brilliance as he scored 19 off 25 balsl that included 3 fours and 1 six but perished soo. Hardik Pandya was run out for just 5 while Shardul Thakur scored 1 off 4 balls. In the end, Ravindra Jadeja (16 off 21) and Rohit (12 off 19) guided India to a win.
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The fans were upset for several reasons. Firstly, there was Sanju Samson missing in the playing XI. He averages 66 in ODIs yet was not considered for selection as fans alleged that Samson is a victim of ‘politics’ and ‘favouritism’ in Indian team. Secondly, India did not close out the match in a dominant way, losing five wickets by changing the batting order. Thirdly, it turned out to be a boring match for the spectators.
Some suggested that BCCI could earn more viewers and give better practice to Men in Blue by playing and inter-squad game. One Twitter user even suggested that BCCI should have played a Team Rohit vs Team Virat contest to prepare for the big tournaments ahead as Windies dispalyed poor cricket.
Take a look at how fans reacted after the ‘boring’ India vs West Indies 1st ODI:
Axar Patel dropped
Sanju Samson benched
Mukesh Kumar making debut less than 3 months before start of World CupBowling first despite knowing that batsmen need more overs in the middle
Welcome to Dravid ball – where more expectations means disappointment pic.twitter.com/rqTDg2BqfL
— Arnav Singh (@Arnavv43) July 27, 2023
BCCI should’ve arranged a Team India A vs Team India B series among the Indian players for better practice. Make it Team Virat vs Team Rohit for high viewership.
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) July 27, 2023
My brother in Christ. You bat first if you wanna give chance to everyone, not ask everyone to play 10 balls and get out. https://t.co/Sv7dZck90q
— Heisenberg _ (@internetumpire) July 27, 2023
India will play the 2nd ODI vs West Indies on Saturday, July 29, with an aim to seal the series 2-0. Yet again, the Men in Blue will be the favourites to beat hosts as Windies cricket looks in complete shambles right now. The IND vs WI 2nd ODI will also take place at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown in Barbados. The match will start at 7 pm IST after toss at 6.30 pm.