The first ODI between India and West Indies was abandoned due to rain after being interrupted multiple times. Indian captain Virat Kohli was clearly unhappy with this and termed such interferences during play as the ‘worst’ thing in cricket.
Washed out match
The series opener at the Providence Stadium, Guyana was called off after 13 overs of the first innings. Initially, the match was delayed by 90 minutes and reduced to 43-overs per side game but the rain started again. After another two breaks, finally, the match had to be stopped.
West Indies were set to bat first and they struggled from the beginning. Chris Gayle played his slowest ODI innings (cut off 25 balls) with 31-ball 4. Evin Lewis and Shai Hope remained unbeaten when the rain interruption at the 13th over finally abandoned the match.
An upset skipper
Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket team captain was visibly upset with the outcome and he expressed the same at the post-match press conference. Kohli said that these multiple breaks were not good and it should have a proper verdict at one go. “It’s probably the worst part of cricket, a stop-start is never a good feeling. Either it should rainout or play the full game. The more stops you have, the more you want to be careful to ensure that the players don’t injure themselves.”
While asked about playing in West Indies conditions he opined, “A few pitches might have good pace and bounce, while others can be a bit slower and difficult. So you have assess them and play accordingly.” He added that it ultimately works for the team who can adapt well and deliver better cricket on the day.
Kohli talked about the future roadmap of the Indian cricket team and explained how the only option is to go higher. “The game is moving fast because of the T20 influence into the games, and it is only to go higher and higher as we go ahead.”
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