Batting at No. 7 reminded me of my India debut: Rohit Sharma

Team India captain Rohit Sharma stated that batting at No. 7 in the first ODI against West Indies on Thursday, July 27 in Barbados reminded him of his international debut. The 36-year-old batted in the lower-middle order during his early days for India.

The Men in Blue beat West Indies by five wickets in the opening ODI of the three-match series at Kensington Oval in Barbados. Bowling first after winning the toss, the visitors bundled out the Windies for a paltry 114 in 23 overs as Kuldeep Yadav (4/6) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/37) ran riot.

In reply, the Indian think-tank promoted Ishan Kishan to open with Shubman Gill. Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jadeja and even all-rounder Shardul Thakur batted ahead of Rohit, who came in at No. 7.

Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony about his batting position:

"I made my debut for India and was batting at number 7, reminded me of those days.”

The 36-year-old also expressed surprise at the behavior of the pitch, stating that the surface had something for everyone.

He commented:

"I never thought the pitch would play like that, it was the team's need to bowl first. The pitch had everything for seamers and spinners, our guys did well to restrict them to that score.”

India made heavy weather of a target of 115. Kishan top-scored with 52 off 46, but Gill (7), Suryakumar (19), Pandya (5), and Thakur (1) all fell cheaply. Jadeja (16*) and Rohit (12*) took the visitors home in 22.5 overs.

Meanwhile, Player of the Match Kuldeep praised senior leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for his guidance and advice.

He said at the post-match presentation:

“It’s always good to have competition, we just try to work together. When you have a senior like Chahal, it helps you and he gives a lot of advice as well. We enjoy each other’s company.”

Kuldeep ran through West Indies’ lower order and also got the wicket of opposition skipper Shai Hope, who top-scored with 43 off 45.

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“We didn't play the way we needed to” - Hope on Windies’ capitulation against India

Reflecting on a forgettable batting effort, West Indies captain Hope admitted that they didn’t play well, adding that the team needs to learn how to score on difficult tracks.

He commented:

"Not too many words come to mind. We didn't play the way we needed to, we need to find ways to score on difficult pitches like this. I'm not making excuses but anyone watching cricket can see what is happening here.”

The second India-West Indies ODI will also be played in Barbados on Saturday, July 29.