India defeated West Indies by 5 wickets behind Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ishan Kishan on a pitch that encouraged spin

In the first ODI of the series, which was played on Thursday at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, West Indies put an experimental India to the test on a field that proved to be difficult for the batsmen. India would have hoped to cruise to the mark after reducing West Indies to 114 in 23 overs, but the surface didn’t soften and continued to provide turn for spinners.

The goal was surpassed by India, who scored 118/5 in 22.5 overs to win by five wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.

Prior to the ODI World Cup, India captain Rohit Sharma said that they wanted to attempt a few new things, and it was evident in their batting order. Rohit, who starts in all formats, batted as low as No. 7 because India didn’t need Virat Kohli, which is fortunate.

Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill began together, but the combination quickly fell apart when Gill was removed for seven in the fourth over. Suryakumar Yadav was placed in the middle at position no. 3 as a result of his withdrawal, and before spinners were used, he began with a few promising strokes, including a signature six over fine leg.

Suyakumar attempted to sweep his way out of the challenge and was initially successful until being LBW on 19. Shardul Thakur (1 off 4) and Hardik Pandya (5 off 7) were caught in the slips and rendered helpless by the turn.

Ishan, on the other hand, launched a comeback and reached 50 before holing out at midwicket with 52 off 46. After that, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja led the squad across the finish line.

Earlier, West Indies were dismissed for 114 in only 23 overs when Jadeja tightened the noose and Kuldeep Yadav went for the decisive blow.

With the new ball, Hardik Pandya (1/17 in 3 overs) and debutant Mukesh Kumar (1/22 in 5 overs) set the tone with a tight opening spell before Jadeja and Kuldeep quickly put an end to the innings.

Only two other batters were able to reach double digits, making skipper Shai Hope the leading scorer for the hosts with 43.

The West Indies side lacked the ability to survive on a track with enough bounce to challenge the hitters once Jadeja (6-0-37-3) and Kuldeep (3-2-6-4) worked together.

After a short but daring stay at the crease, Kyle Mayers attempted to escape but could only manage a slog that was caught by captain Rohit Sharma at mid-on. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja perfectly timed his leap at point to grab onto an Alick Athanaze (22 off 18 balls) slice.

The difference in level was then quite obvious, and it was also plain why West Indies didn’t make it to the forthcoming World Cup when Thakur (1/14 in 3 overs) delivered a brilliant in-cutter to smash up Brandon King (17).

Shimron Hetmyer’s (11 off 19 balls) troubles were evident when attempting an unsightly lap-scoop off Jadeja, demonstrating how both Jadeja and Kuldeep were able to rush the batsmen thanks to the pitch’s moderate speed.

Another T20 standout, Rovman Powell, was unable to predict Jadeja’s turn off the pitch, while Kuldeep forced the West Indies captain to attempt an out-of-character reverse sweep and embarrassingly be yorked in the process.

For the majority of Caribbean hitters, Kuldeep’s googlies—one that turns away from right-handers—was unplayable.