West Indies rose against all odds on Indian soil to thump the hosts by 124 runs in the first ODI of the five-match series at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
For Marlon Samuels, everything he touched turned to gold. His performances with both bat and ball, pulled a controversy-hit West Indian team together to make a winning start to a long tour in the sub-continent without their strike bowler Sunil Narine.
The match also saw India lose their ODI top spot to South Africa.
Being put in to bat first, West Indies managed to post an impressive 321 for the loss of six wickets, most of which fell in the slog overs.
Dwayne Smith (46) and Dwayne Bravo (17) got the visitors off to a slow yet steady start as the Indian bowlers looked to have picked up from where they left in England and failed to bowl in the right areas.
For the West Indies, the best was yet to come.
Denesh Ramdin and Marlon Samuels added 165 runs for the fourth wicket, a partnership that gave their side an early edge. Both reached their half centuries during the partnership but while Ramdin departed for 61, Samuels went on to score a century and remained unbeaten at 126 at the end of the innings.
Mohammad Shami tried to pull things back in the 47th over picking up Andre Russell (1) and Kieron Pollard (2) but Samuels was well set to lead his side's final charge. He collaborated with Darren Sammy (10) to take their side well past the 300 mark.
As for the Indian bowlers, It was Shami’s late wicket-taking spree that pulled his figures to four for 66 in nine overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was at his economical best but had nothing in the wickets column to show for it.
Before the start of the second innings, it looked as if the match was poised for a nail-biting finish considering India’s batting line up, but what followed was certainly not expected.
India started in slow fashion before Ajinkhya Rahane departed for 49.
Virat Kohli’s bad form continued on Indian pitches as well as he departed for just two runs.
The stage was set for the ever-reliable Indian middle order but Ambati Rayudu (13) and Suresh Raina (0) failed.
But the final nail in the coffin was the wicket of skipper M S Dhoni, whose stumps were knocked over for eight by Darren Sammy.
Shikhar Dhawan, who held one end while wickets fell at the other, too departed for an uncharacteristic 92-ball 68 leaving India reeling at 134 for six.
After that it was just a matter of time as the tail was cleared up and India were bowled out for 197 in 41 overs.
Man of the match: As a cricketer, some players have a day where they cannot put a foot wrong. For Samuels, it was this day. His performances with the bat and the ball were exceptional and his spirit on the field gave inspiration to a distraught Windies side.
With an unbeaten ton and bowling figures of two for 10 in three overs, Samuels deserved the man of the match with no far second in contention.
Moment of the match: The moment of the match was Samuels’ century celebration. It was what gave the team belief amidst all the selection talks going on and more than anything, it was a statement to his critics.
Brief scores: West Indies 321/6 (M Samuels 126*, M Shami 4/66) beat India 197 (S Dhawan 68, M Samuels 2/10)
