India vs West Indies 1st ODI: India Chase 296 in Trivandrum

India began a challenging 296-run chase against West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series at Thiruvananthapuram after an eventful first innings featuring a maiden ODI century for Justin Greaves and a four-wicket spell from Kuldeep Yadav.

India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl first. West Indies responded with an aggressive start as openers Justin Greaves and John Campbell put India's bowlers under pressure.

Greaves and Campbell added 135 runs for the opening wicket. Campbell scored 62 off 60 balls, including six fours and three sixes, before Kuldeep Yadav provided India with the crucial breakthrough.

Greaves continued to hold the West Indies innings together and completed his maiden ODI century. He eventually departed for 101 off 108 balls after being trapped LBW by Kuldeep.

Kuldeep then struck again immediately, removing Jewel Andrew for a golden duck. The double strike came during a dramatic West Indies collapse as the visitors slipped from 195/2 to 198/5.

Kuldeep was the standout bowler for India, finishing with excellent figures of 4/40 from his 10 overs. His wickets included Campbell, West Indies captain Shai Hope, centurion Greaves and Jewel Andrew.

Prasidh Krishna also contributed with two wickets, finishing with figures of 2/60 from his 10 overs.

Despite losing momentum in the middle overs, West Indies recovered through Amir Jangoo. The left-hander played an important late innings, remaining unbeaten on 58 from 43 deliveries.

Jangoo's acceleration helped West Indies finish with 295/7 from their 50 overs, leaving India with a target of 296.

India began the chase with Rohit Sharma and captain Shubman Gill opening the batting.

Rohit made an immediate statement by driving his first delivery for four. He later survived an LBW review before responding with a six as India made a steady start to the chase.

At the latest score reflected in the supplied match updates, India were 31/0 after 5.3 overs. Rohit Sharma was batting on 17 from 16 deliveries, while Shubman Gill had scored 13 from 17 balls.

Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Naman Dhir, Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy remain among India's batting options as the hosts attempt to complete the 296-run chase.

Krihaa Analysis

West Indies will probably look back at their innings as an opportunity to have scored more.

A 135-run opening partnership between Justin Greaves and John Campbell gave the visitors an outstanding platform. At that stage, a score comfortably beyond 300 appeared possible.

Kuldeep Yadav completely changed the momentum.

His control through the middle overs forced West Indies into mistakes, with the visitors collapsing from 195/2 to 198/5. His dismissal of Greaves shortly after the opener completed his century was particularly important because it removed the batter best positioned to accelerate during the final overs.

Amir Jangoo's unbeaten 58 ensured West Indies still reached a competitive 295/7.

For India, the equation is straightforward but demanding: 296 runs.

The surface was expected to favour batting, and India's deep batting order gives the hosts plenty of options. However, West Indies can bring themselves back into the contest quickly if they remove Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli early.

India's priority should be to avoid allowing the required run rate to climb sharply through the middle overs. With wickets in hand, the hosts have enough batting depth to attack later in the innings.

The opening partnership between Rohit and Gill has therefore given India the kind of start they needed, but the chase remains far from settled.