IND vs WI, 1st ODI: A combined bowling effort assisted India with halting West Indies three runs shy of their total in the first ODI of the three-match series between the sides at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad on Friday.

India 308 for 7 beat West Indies 305 for 6 by three runs

Prior, the knocks of Shikhar Dhawan (97) and Shubman Gill (64) assisted India with posting 308 for 7 batting first. In answer, West Indies were looking for areas of strength for truly 133 for 1 during the 309-run pursuit yet India returned and remained in the game till the finish to sack the nail-biter just barely of three runs. It is significant that Ravindra Jadeja, India’s vice-captain for the series, has been ruled out of the initial two ODIs against West Indies because of injury.

Pursuing a record target here, the West Indies could only score 305 for 6 of every 50 overs. Kyle Mayers top-scored for the home side with 75 while Shamarh Brooks and Brandon King contributed 46 and 54 separately. For India, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Yuzvendra Chahal took two wickets each.

Mohammed Siraj first bagged Nicholas Pooran to end his 51-run association with Brandon King before Yuzvendra Chahal got the better of Rovman Powell. However, two fast fifty-run partnerships – first among King and Akeal Hosein and afterward among Hosein and Romario Shepherd – raised West Indies’ expectations. However, Chahal had King holing out to sweeper cover before Siraj and Prasidh Krishna shielded 38 off the last three overs – weathering the final onslaught from Hosein and Shepherd – to assist India with beginning the first of three ODIs in Port of Spain with a three-run win on Friday.

Having just overseen 83 for 5 in the last 15 overs of their innings, India’s bowlers left to shield their completely with a mentality of changing their lengths, which is the way Siraj prised Shai Hope out. Siraj drew him forward with four pitched-up conveyances prior to surprising him with a guard that had Hope top-edging a catch to deep third.

Pooran joined King and added 51 off only 56 balls to keep them on course. The pair got themselves in by finding the holes before Pooran hit several sixes off Prasidh while King hit Axar Patel over lengthy off.

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Siraj then returned to have Pooran confuse one to mid-on before Chahal had Rovman Powell gotten at slip to undermine a slide. However, King, Hosein and Shepherd guaranteed the watchers left with less nails and higher pulses.

Notwithstanding, an aerobatic catch by Shamarh Brooks at reverse point ended Dhawan’s innings on 97 off the extremely next ball. An over later, Iyer fell after his fifty – because of a full-stretch jump from Pooran at cover – and the brakes started to be applied on India’s innings.

However, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur figured out how to track down the boundary towards the end of the innings – 36 came from the last three overs – to help India to a complete total that proved just enough.