India bowl first against West Indies in landmark 1,000th ODI
Cricket
India's new white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl against West Indies
AHMEDABAD (AFP) - India s new white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl against West Indies in their 1,000th One-Day International (ODI) on Sunday.
Rohit begins his tenure as full-time ODI captain in the first of three matches at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
The match makes India the first team to reach the landmark of 1,000 ODI matches. Their first was in England in 1974.
"It’s a historic day in Indian cricket," Rohit said at the toss.
"It’s been a long journey for India in ODI cricket. We have had ups and downs but as a team we have grown over the years and we will continue to do that."
Rohit returns to the team after missing India’s poor showing in South Africa, where the tourists lost the three-match ODI series in a clean sweep, along with a 2-1 Test series loss.
India, hit by a Covid outbreak in the team, have handed an international debut to all-rounder Deepak Hooda.
West Indies, led by Kieron Pollard, lost their previous ODI series against Ireland, but are fresh from a stunning Twenty20 series victory over England at home.
Veteran pace bowler Kemar Roach has been added to the team as Pollard admitted the difficulties of acclimatisation in Covid times.
"It has been difficult -- three days quarantine and one day practice," said Pollard. "We have to come out and perform. It’s a big field, we need to rotate the strike."
The limited-overs series will be played without spectators due to the pandemic.
The two teams will also play three Twenty20 matches after the ODI series.
