India vs West Indies: ‘It’s probably the worst part of cricket’ - Virat Kohli on rain interruptions
Only 13 overs could be bowled in the first ODI as it continued to rain in Guyana and umpires deemed that play could not be possible.
The first One Day International (ODI) between India and West Indies was called off after just 13 overs as rain played spoilsport at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The match was already reduced to 34 overs due to a delayed start. Eventually only 13 overs could be bowled in the match as it continued to rain in Guyana and umpires deemed that play could not be possible. Indian captain Virat Kohli was particularly unhappy with the end result as he said during the post match presentation that a rain-affected match is the worst part of cricket.
Also Read: Gill creates history with double ton; India A close in on win against West Indies A
“It’s probably the worst part of cricket, a stop-start is never a good feeling. Either it should rain out or play the full game. The more stops you have, the more you want to be careful to ensure that the players don’t injure themselves,” Kohli said.
Kohli went on to talk about how the Indian team would like to approach cricket in the coming matches.
“Cricket has come a long, long way. England for example have done really well with their turnaround. Scores of 400 are being scored regularly now. The game is moving fast because of the T20 influence into the games, and it is only to go higher and higher as we go ahead.”
Also Read: Gayle surpasses Brian Lara’s record in called off game in Guyana
“The guys are fitter, sharper now and all teams will have to keep up with that. A few of the pitches in the Caribbean can really test you. Some pitches might have good pace and bounce but some of them will be on the slower side and you need to be patient. The team that adapts well and plays better percentage cricket will benefit. Both teams will look to do that in the coming days,” he added.
Earlier, Virat Kohli had won the toss and opted to field first against the hosts. Chris Gayle had the chance to surpass Brian Lara and become the leading run-scorer for the Windies in ODIs. But he failed to grab that chance as he fell victim to Kuldeep Yadav for the score of just 4. Evin Lewis was striking the ball well as he scored 40 run off 36 balls with Shai Hope on the other end to provide support. But it started raining again and match had to be stopped with West Indies on 54/1 after 13 overs.
The second ODI of the three-match series between India and West Indies will be played in Port of Spain on Sunday. After the conclusion of the ODI series, the two teams will lock horns in a two-match Test series. Earlier, India won the three-match T20I series 3-0.
