India vs West Indies, 1st ODI, Toss report: Hosts opt to bowl first, hand debut to Deepak Hooda

Ahmedabad, February 6: India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first against West Indies in the 1st ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (February 6).

Team India begin a new era under the leadership of Rohit and also reach a milestone as the first ODI of the three-match series is the 1000th ODI match for the Men in Blue, who have handed a debut to all-rounder Deepak Hooda.

Virat Kohli handed Hooda his maiden ODI cap for the senior national team, while Ishan Kishan is set to open the batting alongside Rohit Sharma after a couple of Team India opening options were hit by COVID earlier this week.

The Indian players will also sport black armbands in the first ODI to condole the demise of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar.

India vs West Indies: Team India to wear black armband as a mark of respect to Lata Mangeshkar

After opting to bowl first, Indian skipper Rohit said: "Looks like a good pitch, won't change a lot. Will get better to bat under the lights. I am happy to be back, playing for India, good to be back on the field. It's been a couple of months since I played cricket.

On playing the 1000th ODI, Rohit added: "It's a historic day in Indian cricket, been a long journey for India. We have seen a lot of ups and downs. As a team we have grown over the years, and we'll continue to do that."

On the team news, skipper Rohit said: "We had a few positive Covid cases, so we have some new faces. Deepak Hooda is making his ODI debut."

Meanwhile, visiting skipper Kieron Pollard said: "The toss is 50-50, we have to assess the conditions and bat well. We have come out well and bring out the results.

"The guys have to adapt to different scenarios. We had a series a few days ago, so we need some mental adjustment. We need to bat long and rotate the strike."

On the team news, Pollard said: "There are a couple of changes in the team (from their last match), Roach and Allen are back. Darren hasn't played a game since last July, so it's an exciting phase for few of these guys."

India vs West Indies, 1st ODI Playing 11s

India XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj

West Indies XI: Kieron Pollard (captain), Brandon King, Shai Hope, Shamarh Brooks, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran (wicketkeeper), Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Akeal Hosein