Putting behind their pay dispute with the Board, West Indies beat India to go 1-0 in the 5-match series.
West Indies won the opening One Day International (ODI) against India to go 1-0 in the 5-match ODI series. The cricket match was played in Kochi, India on October 8, 2014. The Caribbeans scored a mammoth 321 runs in 50 overs, which India failed to chase. The West Indian players put behind a pay dispute with the West Indian Cricket Board, which almost caused them to boycott the first game.
India entered the series as firm favorites to win, but the Dwyane Bravo and co. were determined to change that. Marlon Samuels was adjudged man-of-the-match for his brilliantly crafted unbeaten knock of 126. The Indian team was outplayed in all departments of the game – batting, bowling and fielding. The hosts suffered a defeat by a huge margin of 124 runs.
The visitors took advantage of some mediocre bowling by the Indians as they bludgeoned the ball to all parts of the park. The lone hero from India was Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 68, but was falling short of partners.
It was a batting pitch at the Nehru Stadium, which saw most Indian batsman getting out due to poor shot selection. The odds were stacked against the West Indies as ace-spinner Sunil Narine was dropped due to a suspect bowling action and the hard-hitting Chris Gayle was also not playing.
With the World Cup 2015 now in sights, teams around the world are preparing for the mega event and wins in series like these become more crucial.
