Inclement weather played spoilsport in the first One-Day International of the three-match series between the West Indies and India at the Guyana National Stadium on Thursday.
Only 13 overs were bowled since the hosts were put in to bat after Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss with the West Indies reaching 54 for one before the latest downpour drove them off the field yet again.
Minimum requirement for a completed match was for each team to bat for 20 overs, which proved to be unlikely given the continuing torrential rainfall and problem with the wet outfield.
Veteran opening batsman Chris Gayle was the lone wicket to fall, being bowled by left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav for just four, leaving him seven runs short of surpassing the tally of outstanding former batsman and captain Brian Lara of 10,348 as the most for West Indies in ODIs.
Gayle, who has reversed a decision to retire from the 50 overs-per-side format of the game after the World Cup, occupied 31 deliveries before being dismissed.
Gayle, however, went past Lara’s record for the most ODI appearances (296) for West Indies player.
It therefore means that the 39-year-old will establish a new ODI record for West Indian appearances and also has the chance to surpass Lara’s run tally when the second match is played in Trinidad – Lara’s homeland – on Sunday.
In contrast to Gayle’s pedestrian innings, Evin Lewis was unbeaten on 40 off 36 deliveries (three sixes, two fours) in partnership with Shai Hope at the latest rain stoppage.
India will be seeking to maintain their winning streak on this tour in the second ODI, having completed a 3-0 sweep of the T20 International series with a seven-wicket victory in the final match two days earlier at the same venue.
Teams:
West Indies – Jason Holder (captain), Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope (wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Roston Chase, Carlos Brathwaite, Fabian Allen, Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell.
India – Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Kedar Jadhav, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav.
