Providence (Guyana): Rain played spoilsport as the first ODI between India and the West Indies was called off after the home side scored 54 for 1 in 13 overs here Thursday.
The stop-start match, which was reduced to 34-over-a-side, was abandoned after a second rain interruption. More than an hour-and-a- half later, the umpires decided to call off the match.
Opener Evin Lewis and Shai Hope were batting on 40 and six respectively when the match was called off after Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and asked the West Indies to bat.
Chris Gayle, playing his last series for the West Indies was out in the 11th over after scoring four off 31 deliveries in an agonisingly slow knock. He had come into the match 12 runs short of Brian Lara’s 10,405 ODI runs, the most by a West Indies batsman.
The match was already reduced to 43-over-a side even before a ball being bowled as the wet outfield due to rains had forced the toss to be delayed. The match began two hours later than the original 7.00pm IST start.
West Indies made a quiet start with Bhubaneswar Kumar and Mohammed Shami exploiting the conditions well to tie down Gayle and Lewis before the first rain interruption.
India did not take the DRS when Lewis looked plumb in front of wicket in the fourth over off the bowling of Mohammed Shami. Replays showed the ball would have gone on to hit the leg stump but India did not opt for a review. Lewis was on one then.
The home side had scored nine for no loss in 5.4 overs at the first rain break and the match was about to resume 30 minutes later but the wet area near the bowlers’ run-up led to another delay of more than 30 minutes.
The umpires made another inspection and after more than an hour’s interruption, the match resumed for a 34-over-a-side affair. Before the start, both umpires had a long discussion with Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
Evin Lewis picked up steam after the long interruption. Lewis hit Khaleel Ahmed for 15 runs with a six and two fours in the eighth over but the introduction of wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav put some brakes on the West Indian batsmen.
Kuldeep gave India the breakthrough as he dismissed dangerman Gayle who dragged the ball onto his stumps. Hope came in two overs later, but rains also came back to force the players to the dressing room once again.
The second one-dayer will be played in Port of Spain on Sunday.
PTI
