"I am not a very big fan of ODI cricket" - Aakash Chopra says the 1st India vs West Indies ODI was the definition of a humdinger

Team India registered a thrilling win in the first ODI against West Indies [P/C: BCCI/Twitter]

Aakash Chopra has pointed out that the first ODI between Team India and West Indies was the definition of a humdinger.

The Men in Blue set a 309-run target for the Windies after being asked to bat first at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Friday, July 22. The hosts almost overhauled the target before eventually losing the match by just three runs.

While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that it was unlike the usually mundane ODI matches. He said:

"What a game in the end boss, India won the match by only three runs, it was an extremely interesting match. I am not a very big fan of ODI cricket but if there is a definition of a humdinger, this match reminded us of that."

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the scorecard will not be a true reflection of the game. Aakash Chopra explained:

"If you didn't see this match till the end, you will see the scoreboard - Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer scored runs, then they got slow in the middle or at the end - you will remember all that but you won't come to know that there was a save by Sanju Samson, because of which in my opinion, India won this match."

Shikhar Dhawan (97), Shubman Gill (64) and Shreyas Iyer (54) were the only Indian batters to cross the 30-run mark. Sanju Samson, who contributed 12 runs during the Indian innings, made an excellent save on the fifth ball of the final over bowled by Mohammed Siraj to keep India in the game.

"It seemed that 15 runs will be scored" - Aakash Chopra on the final over bowled by Mohammed Siraj

Sanju Samson's stop saved the day for India [P/C: Twitter]

Aakash Chopra observed that West Indies were almost on course to score the 15 runs required off the last over. He elaborated:

"15 runs were required in the last over and it seemed that 15 runs will be scored. It almost reached that stage because there was that one ball, although the story could have ended if a four was hit off the last ball, where Mohammed Siraj bowled a wide and Sanju Samson stopped that ball by putting in a huge dive."

Chopra pointed out that the game would have been done and dusted if Samson had not made that brilliant stop. The 44-year-old reasoned:

"The fine leg fielder was slightly wide and that ball would have gone for a four, which means five wides, and that would have been the game. You won the match by just three runs. So if that had been a four, the story would have ended but that did not happen."

Sanju Samson’s stop was the difference in the end. 100% boundary. And that would’ve been Game Windies.

Aakash Chopra concluded by stating that Samson's diving stop, which will not get reflected in the record books or be discussed a lot, was a very critical moment in the game.