India vs West Indies: In near-perfect win, Rohit Sharma ticks all the right boxes in Indian cricket's fresh start

A 1000 ODIs. The first team to achieve this cult status in international cricket, and yet, it feels team India is just getting started. A superb junior feeder system, that has now won five Under-19 World Cups, a sturdy domestic structure and a healthy international grade replete with superstars — Indian cricket is set to dominate world cricket for the foreseeable future. All that remains is to actually go do it! It seems fit that Rohit Sharma returned to action on such an occasion. There is a transition to run through, as also two white-ball World Cups to prepare for. More importantly, there is a blueprint that needs to be readied and put in place because India’s ODI and T20 strategies both need a reboot. South Africa was a missed opportunity in more ways than one — Rohit’s absence plus the 3-0 defeat meant India were forced to hit the reset button. [caption id=“attachment_10354331” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  India beat West Indies by 6 wickets with 22 overs to spare in the first ODI. AP[/caption] Neglect everything else for a split second, and focus on Rohit’s return alone. There was certain familiarity about the whole situation as he stepped out for the toss. There was confidence — he has done this before, and with élan as well as success. We, every stakeholder in Indian cricket, are well versed with his leadership style. There was a sense of calm about it all, as opposed to a jarring shortstop solution witnessed under KL Rahul in South Africa. What else was the difference? Against South Africa, India looked almost mechanical, if not lethargic in its approach. Much of it rubbed off from Rahul’s captaincy, who hasn’t come across as a proactive captain in his limited outings. In that aspect, there isn’t much comparison with Rohit, who brings forth a calculative approach to captaincy. And this methodical planning was straightaway visible in how India selected their team for this first ODI against West Indies. Energetic leadership: Check With Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer both missing, and Rahul rested from the first ODI, it wasn’t much of a calculation. There were only so many cards to play; so much so that Ishan Kishan was picked to open the innings even before the selectors officially included him in the squad. The underlying point herein though is about the intent of getting the selection formula right from the word go. With both Dhawan and Iyer missing, it was filling in the gaps, and not changing things around as per whims and fancies. In came Kishan, as well as Deepak Hooda. There is a question herein – will Kishan continue to open when Rahul comes back? We shall soon find out, but it is in the best interests of the team to shift Rahul down in ODIs and compete with Iyer for a spot. Hooda’s ODI debut is quite pertinent as well. It partly explains why Venkatesh Iyer was dropped unceremoniously, even if the chief selector won’t come forward. The Indian team needs a bowling all-rounder option therein, and Hooda – along with Iyer and anyone who can roll their arms over – is an option. Thanks to West Indies’ self-destructive batting, a sixth bowler wasn’t needed. Alternatively, thanks to India’s middle order issues, Hooda did get to bat. A sedate 26 off 32 balls, avoiding further hiccups, is just what the proverbial doctor ordered. It brings us to the lower half of the Indian selection. Hooda’s selection combined with the batting prowess of Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur in the lower order meant that they could bench Deepak Chahar on a hot Ahmedabad afternoon. In Hardik Pandya’s absence, India will have to lean heavily on bowling all-rounders, and this seems to be a blueprint starting to take shape. Once you give out ample chances, then it becomes a horses-for-courses policy. Sundar’s performance comes into spotlight here. Returning to the side after a long injury/Covid layoff, it was imperative for him to hit the ground running. As India have moved away from the ‘KulCha’ formula, Sundar has become vital in the spin operation. He comes on to bowl in the powerplay, which means Yuzvendra Chahal can be held back for the middle overs. India may or may not return to two wrist spinners, but for the present, Sundar-Chahal (SunCha anyone?) is the way forward. That pairing is where the game was won. On home turf, with the ball gripping and turning, Motera provided assistance to Sundar even before 10 overs were done. Neither is an excessive turner of the ball, and variation in pace is their strength, and it was amply on display. Five wickets in that passage of play between them, Sundar and Chahal broke the Windies’ batting backbone. Could a better ODI batting line-up, say, Australia or England have done better? Perhaps, but this is a starting point and there are two more matches to build this spin partnership. Selection on the money: Check Thereafter, 170-odd was never going to be enough for West Indies, despite India’s persisting middle order issues. Virat Kohli played the weirdest four balls in his ODI career, all of them short and banged in, and he was happy to take Alzarri Joseph on. It cost him his wicket. Rishabh Pant continues to blow hot and cold at number four, and that’s a topic for another day. SKY and Hooda eased home, but earlier on, Rohit had set the stage himself. For someone who was more than two months away from the game, Rohit looked in fine touch for his 44th ODI half-century. As always, there was a touch of dominance about his game, taking the attack to the bowling. Shot of the day was his front-foot six off Kemar Roach over deep square leg. After a ten-week gap, this was an imposing captain’s knock, kicking off this ODI reset in the best way possible. Personal form: Check [caption id=“attachment_10353931” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  India’s Rohit Sharma bats during the first one day international cricket match against West Indies in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022. AP[/caption] Captaincy has come to Rohit at perhaps the most opportune time in his career. He is peaking as a batsman across formats, and Kohli is an ever-present example of how an in-form captain can help mould the team in his image. It has been just one game, so it is indeed too early to judge. Even so, you can only beat the opponent in front of you. All the tick boxes were checked out on the day. And, Rohit couldn’t have asked for a more near-perfect win to kick off his era in Indian cricket. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News ,  India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.