The Indian cricket team had a good outing in the 2-match test series against West Indies and now they will hope to repeat the same in the 3-match ODI series as well which is going to start from today (27 July 2023). There were quite a few positive takeaways for India in the test series which India won by 1-0 as the second test match ended in a draw because no cricketing action took place on the last day of the second test match due to rain.
Indian batters Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ishan Kishan, etc. scored runs and Indian bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin, etc. also got wickets. Indian cricketer Virat Kohli achieved a unique and special feat as the second test match was his 500th International game for the country. He scored a century in that match and helped his team in posing a big total on the scorecard.
This was the 29th test century of Virat Kohli and with this, he leveled with legendary Don Bradman who also has 29 test centuries to his name; overall, it was the 76th international century of Virat Kohli. Though Virat played a patient innings yet he succeeded in scoring a century which was his first since 2018 in overseas.
Virat Kohli had gone through a lean phase for almost 2 years across all the formats and he got his form back in the Asia Cup 2022 when he scored a century against Afghanistan.
Ahead of the first ODI, the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma interacted with mediapersons in a press conference and when he was asked whether it was a concern for team India that Virat Kohli was not able to score centuries, Rohit Sharma responded in negative, saying that he had answered this question many times earlier as well. He further said that he doesn’t care about outside noise, he said that outside people who talk about who is scoring runs and who is taking wickets have no idea as to what is happening inside. Hitman added that whatever happens inside stays inside and for them, the most important thing is to win matches and what people are saying outside has no importance for them.
He concluded by saying that for them, the next three ODIs are their priority.
After 3-match ODI series, India and West Indies will also clash in 5-match T20I series in which Hardik Pandya will lead the team and both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will stay away for T20Is.
