India's captain Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the first one-day international (ODI) against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. (AFP)
The second match of the series is on Wednesday at the same venue in Ahmedabad
Skipper Rohit Sharma top-scored with 60 as India beat the West Indies by six wickets at home in their 1,000th one-day international on Sunday.
Chasing 177 in the first of three matches, India romped ahead with an 84-run opening stand between Rohit and Ishan Kishan (28) for their win in 28 overs at Ahmedabad.
Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar earlier shared seven wickets between them to bowl out the West Indies for 176 in 43.5 overs.
The second match of the series is on Wednesday at the same venue.
Chahal and Washington Sundar shared seven wickets between them as India bowled out West Indies for 176.
Sharma took to the field as the hosts’ new full-time white-ball skipper and his decision to bowl first was vindicated by the two spinners.
West Indies slipped to 79-7 before Jason Holder hit 57 to salvage some dignity for the visitors in the first of the three matches at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
The match makes India the first team to reach the landmark of 1,000 ODI matches. Their first was in England in 1974.
Leg-spinner Chahal returned figures of 4-49 — including the key wicket of skipper Kieron Pollard for nought — to rattle the West Indies batters, who survived just 43.5 overs.
Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj struck first in the third over of to send back Shai Hope as an incoming delivery got the wicketkeeper-batsman’s inside edge on to the stumps.
India introduced spin in the eighth over and off-spinner Sundar soon made it count, dispatching Brandon King for 13.
Chahal broke the West Indies’ back with successive strikes but Holder avoided the hat-trick.
Chahal got one more in his next over and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna got Akeal Hosein caught behind for nought as West Indies slipped to 79-7 in the 23rd over.
Holder put on 78 runs with Fabien Allen, who made 29, to offer some resistance against India’s onslaught.
Holder went past 2,000 ODI runs and then raised his 11th half-century in the 50-over format but finally fell to Krishna, who finished with figures of 2-29.