Bridgetown, Barbados: On July 27, 2023, the first game of three-match ODI series was played at Kensington Oval Park in Barbados, where Windies performed well with the ball. Unfortunately, early batting collapse resulted in another loss for Windies. India won five wickets, taking lead in ODI series (1-0).
At the beginning of the match, India won the toss and chose to field first. The Windies scored just 114, the second-lowest target against India. The lowest score, Windies lowest score against India, was 104 in 2018.
West Indies is going through a rough phase. The biggest blow to West Indies fans hit when they didn’t qualify for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. It was the first time in 48 years that the two-time world Champions will be absent from a World Cup.
The early collapse of West Indies’ batting remains a significant concern, leading the team to face several defeats. The opening batters, Kyle Mayors and Brandon King, only scored 19 runs. Alick Athanaze, the Dominican youngster, remains second highest top scorer contributing 22 runs in 17 balls.
Shai Hope, West Indies captain, scored 43 in 45 balls, hitting 4 fours and 1 six. The Indian spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, dismissed him in the 23rd over. He was given LBW out.
Shimron Hetmyer, brought into action by CWI to boost Windy’s batting, didn’t perform well. He got dismissed at 11 in 19 balls. The middle order and lower order of West Indies batting only scored ten runs. The six batsmen were dismissed at 4, 0, 3, 3, 0, 0.
Today, second game of three-match ODI series will be played at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
