Even before the start of the ODI series between India and West Indies, the hosts were handed a blow as COVID-19 cases emerged in their camps. Shikhar Dhawan along with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and even Navdeep Saini contracted the infection and the Men in Blue were consequently forced to make some changes to what would have been their preferred XI.
Ahead of the second ODI between the two countries at the same venue in Ahmedabad, SportsTiger citing sources can claim that while Iyer and Gaikwad have recovered from the infection, they are advised to resume training only from Wednesday. This suggests that they are unlikely to feature in the second ODI which is scheduled to be played tomorrow. However, if everything goes well, they will definitely be in consideration for the final ODI.
In the absence of some of their preferred players, the Rohit Sharma-led side performed well in the series opener and registered a six-wicket win with 22 overs to spare. Not only did the spin duo of Washington Sundar and Yuzevndra Chahal perform well but even the batting clicked with the Hitman leading from the front and making a fluent half-century.
There was a bit of a collapse in the middle but debutant Deepak Hooda ensured that India crossed the victory line without much of a hiccup.
“I don’t believe in a perfect game. We want to keep getting better as a team and all in all it was a great effort from everyone. We spoke of what we wanted to achieve and we ticked all the boxes. They [Holder-Allen] created that partnership and we wanted to get them out,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation after India’s win in what was their 1000th ODI.
“I’m open to a lot of things if we need to change. The end goal is we should be able to achieve what the team wants – whether we want to bat or bowl differently. Honestly, I don’t think we need to change a whole lot. All I will ask of the players it to challenge yourself and be innovative,” he added talking about his plans as the white-ball captain of Team India.
