(i) India’s spin duo decimated West Indies batting line up

Rohit Sharma’s decision to bowl first proved to be quite fruitful. Rohit gave the ball to Washington Sundar in the 8th over & instilled a belief in the youngster. Inside 20 overs India’s bowlers took 4 wickets & broke the back of West Indies line up as the crafty off spinner took 2 wickets. He was well accompanied by the sly leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who had mind boggling figures of 4 for 49. India bundled out West Indies for a paltry 176 runs. India’s new spin duo Chahal & Sundar took 7 wickets amongst themselves. This spin combination proved to be invaluable as the work-load of pacers was managed efficiently.

(ii) Rohit Sharma’s impeccable captaincy

Rohit Sharma has often showcased his captaincy prowess by being a bowler’s captain. He was seen shown trust on Mohammed Siraj even when Shai Hope was thrashing him all over the park. This is the peculiarity which makes him one of the most liked captain. The skipper didn’t panic when Jason Holder & Fabian Allen were involved in a critical partnership. He knew one wicket would bring down the curtains as West Indies at that time had lost 7 wickets. BCCI would be extremely happy that they found a leader who can win them ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

(iii) The ‘Hit-Man’ back in the Groove

Rohit had one of the best arrivals in captaincy tenure as he smashed 60 runs in 51 balls. Newbie Ishan Kishan played cautiously on the other end. Ishan got drafted into ODI Squad on the 11th hour when Shikhar Dhawan was found Covid-19 positive.

(iv) The middle order batters got vital runs under the belt

Suryakumar Yadav batting at no.5 scored a quick-fire cameo of 34 runs in 36 balls & Deepak Hooda who was making his ODI debut batting had a decent outing as he scored 26 runs in 32 balls. Both the batters took the responsibility of finishing the match for the team. When these batters were present at crease India required 61 runs with 32 overs left in tank. They absorbed the pressure & now it can be said that the debutant can be a option for future encounters.

(v) The entire team showed the missing camaraderie

For India this ODI Series marked a new chapter as Rohit took over the reins from the former skipper Virat Kohli. Earlier in January India had an away ODI Series against the savvy South Africa where India failed to make a mark. KL Rahul was the skipper for the ODI Series as Rohit was seen nursing injury. Now the legendary Coach Rahul Dravid & the skipper Rohit have task cut-out. In the 1st ODI it looked like that the management is crystal clear as what they want from players. The experimentation of Washington Sundar is an example that the management is lucid as far as the team combination is concerned.