"The batting is still shaky at the moment" - Saba Karim believes India should have won the first ODI with more conviction
Former India wicket-keeper Saba Karim feels there is work to be done with the Indian batting unit. The Men In Blue endured a blip in the middle overs after getting reduced to 116-4 from 84-0.
Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan gave India the perfect start with the former taking on the bowlers in typical fashion. The hosts, however, allowed West Indies to come back into the game on the back of a few unnecessary dismissals. Kishan failed to convert his start while Kohli and Pant departed for low scores.
FIFTY!
A well made half-century for @ImRo45, this is his 44th in ODIs.
Live - bit.ly/INDvWI-1STODI #INDvWI
@Paytm https://t.co/NZyRkSxaCy
Speaking about the management's persistence in promoting Pant at No.4, Karim said on the Khelneeti podcast:
"If we talk about the overall performance, India's batting is still shaky at the moment. Should have won this match more convincingly. No harm in particular in trying out Pant at No.4, being left-handed and his style of batting has prompted the management."
He added:
"Suryakumar Yadav plays well in the middle overs and against spinners. Pant had an unfortunate dismissal, but he had scored 11 runs in just 9 balls. Need a player at No.4 who can go for boundaries in the middle overs, Pant can do that"
Karim adds that wickets falling in a cluster on a harmless surface is a concern that needs addressing. Praising Deepak Hooda's performance on his debut, Karim added:
"The real problem is that, despite the wicket not doing too much, they lost wickets in a cluster, that should not have happened. They were soft-dismissals, something which was not required. Hooda showed his experience from domestic cricket, he can be a good No.6 option, should be given more chances."
While not being given a chance to bowl in the first innings, Hooda showed his caliber with the bat coming in a precarious situation. The all-rounder scored an unbeaten 26 to help India cross the finish line in the first ODI.
Team India registered a 6-wicket win on the occassion of their 1000th ODI
The Men In Blue became the first team in history to compete in 1000 matches in the ODI format. The Rohit Sharma-led side hardly put a foot wrong in the contest, which went their way right from the toss.
That's that from the 1st ODI.
#TeamIndia win their 1000th ODI by 6 wickets 👏👏
Scorecard - bcci.tv/events/50/west… #INDvWI https://t.co/vvFz0ftGB9
Spinners were heavily among the wickets and were well backed by the new-look seam attack. The side were back among the powerplay wickets which allowed the spinners to assume control of the middle overs.
Yuzvendra Chahal was adjudged as the player of the match for his figures of 4-49, which also included his 100th wicket in the format.