'Reminded me of those days': Rohit Sharma rolls back the clock after batting at No.7 vs WI

The West Indies vs India ODI series kicked off with the Men In Blue clinching a sensational win in their first ODI match of the season. After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, India ensued carnage at the Kensington Oval in Barbados by bowling out the home side of 114/10. India then cruised to the target in less than 23 overs and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

3 Things You Need To Know

• Kuldeep Yadav took 4/6 in 3 overs in the WI vs IND 1st ODI
• Ravindra Jadeja returned with figures of 3/37 in 6 overs
• Ishan Kishan struck 52 off 46 during India’s pursuit

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Rohit Sharma demotes himself to no. 7 as Ishan Kishan shines as an opener

As the second innings of the West Indies vs India 1st ODI started, opener Shubman Gill walked out to the middle with a new batting partner. Instead of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan opened the innings alongside Shubman as the skipper demoted himself. The decision turned out to be right as Kishan hit 52 runs in 46 balls while chasing down the relatively small target.

Chasing the total, India were reduced to 97/5 following Shardul Thakur’s wicket in the 18th over, when Rohit Sharma finally walked out to bat. Sharma remained unbeaten on 12 runs off 19 overs, alongside star allrounder Jadeja (19 off 25) as India clinched the win inside 23 overs. During his post-match interview, the Indian captain opened up on his batting position, recalling he batted at no. 7 in his debut.

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Rohit Sharma recalls batting at no. 7 in his debut for India

“I made my debut for India and was batting at number 7, reminded me of those days. Mukesh was brilliant, he can swing the ball at good pace. Good to see what he can offer, haven't seen him much in domestic cricket. No matter the conditions, we need to bowl in the right areas to restrict them and I thought our bowlers did brilliantly. And then Ishan was good with the bat as well,” said Rohit Sharma.

Earlier shedding his thoughts on the match, Rohit said, “I never thought the pitch would play like that, it was the team's need to bowl first and have a score. The pitch had everything for the seamers and spinners, our guys did well to restrict them to that score. We wanted to give game time to the ODI guys who have come in, we will keep trying those things whenever possible. To restrict them to 115, we knew we could try these guys and give them a go. I don't think they'll get many chances like this”.

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India will now head into the second ODI at the same venue, with a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.