3 concerns for India from the 1st ODI vs West Indies

India returned to winning ways in the ODI format after a hammering at the hands of South Africa as the Men in Blue cruised to a six-wicket victory in the opening game of the three-match series against West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 6.

India turned in a complete bowling performance, with Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar sharing seven wickets between them. In the chase, Rohit Sharma essayed an authoritative fifty before cameos from Suryakumar Yadav and debutant Deepak Hooda helped the hosts over the line.

Despite the comprehensive win, India have a few issues to address as they build towards the 2023 World Cup at home. Here are three concerns for Rohit's men from the first ODI against West Indies.

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#3 India's batters continue to throw away starts

India v New Zealand - T20 International

Despite getting over the line with over 20 overs to spare and with six wickets in hand, India's chase wasn't as comfortable as they'd have liked. After Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma ensured the hosts got through the first powerplay unscathed, an all-too-familiar pattern repeated itself in the middle overs as the batters threw away promising starts.

Rohit was trapped in front immediately after a short drinks break as he missed the line completely, following which Virat Kohli endured a miserable stay at the crease. The former Indian captain was harried by short-pitched bowling from Alzarri Joseph and holed out at fine leg off just his fourth delivery.

Soon after India's senior-most batters were dismissed, Kishan found deep square leg with a rather careless slog sweep. Pant was admittedly unlucky to be run out while backing up, but India's top order failed to get the job done in what should've been a straightforward chase - especially Kohli.

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#2 Team balance continues to be an issue for the Men in Blue

India v New Zealand - T20 International

India's playing XI was limited by a few positive COVID cases in the camp but the Men in Blue are yet to arrive at a combination that strikes the right balance between batting and bowling.

With Deepak Hooda batting at No. 6, India had only Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar in the all-rounders department. And with the trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj being wholly incapable with the bat, Rohit's men would've been in trouble if the partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and Hooda hadn't taken them over the line.

Hooda wasn't used as a sixth bowling option either. It might've been prudent for the part-time off-spinner to get a few overs under his belt, instead of being thrust into a high-pressure situation sometime in the future.

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#1 Is Shardul Thakur good enough to be the fifth bowling option?

India v England - 3rd One Day International

India had a tough choice to make between Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar for the third pacer's role. And although Chahar hasn't put too many feet wrong in either department in ODI cricket thus far, Rohit and the team management retained their faith in Thakur.

The 30-year-old was the only Indian bowler to finish wicketless in the first ODI as he conceded 38 runs in his seven-over spell. Although he allowed only two fours and a six, he often drifted onto the pads and never really threatened to pick up a wicket.

It didn't hurt India since they had two canny powerplay operators in Siraj and Prasidh, but the hosts might be found wanting in another scenario where the new-ball bowlers aren't as successful. They might consider bringing in Chahar, especially since Thakur has had a tough run of games with the ball in ODIs.