India fans used to the sight of Rohit Sharma opening the batting and Virat Kohli walking out at No.3 were dealt a surprise in the first ODI against West Indies, with the captain coming in at No.7 and the former skipper not batting at all in a five-wicket win.
India claimed the advantage early on a turning surface, reducing West Indies to 114 all out, with Kohli supplying a moment of magic in the field, a stunning slip catch accounting for Romario Shepherd’s wicket.
In the chase, rather than Rohit coming out to face the new ball, Ishan Kishan was promoted to open alongside Shubman Gill. When Gill fell to a low catch, it wasn’t Rohit or Kohli that walked out, but Suryakumar Yadav, and even as the wickets kept tumbling, neither senior player was to be seen.
It was only at the fall of Shardul Thakur’s wicket, the fifth to go, that Rohit came in at No.7. India were 94-5 and virtually assured of victory, and the batting great saw them home with a calm, unbeaten 12.
Speaking after the game, he explained how he had wanted to give batting practice to the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, who had joined the group ahead of the ODIs, with the low target affording him flexibility in changing the batting order.
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“We said that we wanted to give a chance to the guys,” he explained in the presentation. “We never thought we’d lose five wickets, but it was good to give some game time to a lot of these ODI guys who have come in. We’ll keep trying those things as and when we feel like we have to do it. Firstly, it was important for us to get into a good position. I thought after restricting them to 115 [114], it was a great effort, and I thought we had that commanding position that we need, which is why we thought we can try a few of those guys who have not played a lot of cricket in a while, give them a go. I don’t know when they will get time moving forward, so whenever we do get an opportunity like that, we will try and accommodate these guys.”
The unusual role allowed Rohit to reflect on his earliest days in international cricket. “It was my debut actually,” he said of the last time he batted at No.7. “I made my debut for India and I remember I was batting at No.7, it reminded me of those days.”
The series continues in Barbados on July 29.
