West Indies openers put on a show before first wicket falls in 19th over
West Indies openers John Campbell and Justin Greaves battled deep into the innings before India finally broke through in the 19th over of the first ODI.
India won the toss and chose to bowl first in the opening match of the ODI series at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, but the session belonged to the West Indies batters. The Windies opening pair stayed at the crease till the 19th over despite a fierce examination from the Indian pacers. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav finally broke the partnership by dismissing John Campbell (60) in the 19th over.
After electing to field first, the Indian team's plan was to send the West Indies batters back to the pavilion quickly, but John Campbell and Justin Greaves did not let that happen. The pair batted superbly, repeatedly forcing the Indian captain to change his bowling.
The West Indies batters took on Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Naman Dhir alike. Even star spinner Ravindra Jadeja, brought on to bowl in the eighth over by captain Shubman Gill, could not make an impact. In his opening seven overs, Jadeja conceded 45 runs at more than six an over. Kuldeep Yadav also struggled to find his rhythm early on, but Gill kept faith in his spinners.
Kuldeep Yadav finally got the breakthrough in the 19th over, dismissing Campbell, who was caught by Prasidh Krishna at short fine leg.
At the other end, opener Justin Greaves scored a century, making 102 runs off 108 balls with 12 fours. However, he could not carry the innings forward and also fell to Kuldeep Yadav, who had him leg before wicket (LBW) to end his hundred.
After Greaves' dismissal, the Indian bowlers made a strong comeback. West Indies were batting at 198 for 5 after 35 overs.
