West Indies make strong start chasing 284 to win Ajit Agarkar, batting at No 3, smashed 95 off 102 balls as India set West Indies 284 to win in the first one-day international, being played at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur. The Mumbaikar batted beautifully, stroking eleven boundaries and two sixes, before falling to left-arm quick Pedro Collins. It was Agarkar's 98-run third wicket partnership with VVS Laxman (47) that helped India recover, after they had been reduced to 49-2 in the 12th over. With Rahul Dravid making an unbeaten 42-ball 46 and Mohammad Kaif smashing 31 not out off 18 balls, India, then, went on to end up with 283-6 in their 50 overs. For the West Indies, Collins, who claimed two wickets for 39 off his 10 overs, was the most impressive bowler. In reply, the visitors, who hold the record for the highest team total at the ground - a 333-8 that they made in a 45- over-a-side ODI in December 1983 - had reached 152-2 in 25 overs.

Hooper: The one-dayers are a totally different ball game India decided to field 28-year-old Jai Prakash Yadav in the first one-day international against West Indies on Wednesday as the hosts continued their search for an all-rounder ahead of next year's World Cup. Yadav, who scored a century and grabbed six wickets as Ranji champions Railways beat Rest of India in a domestic Irani Cup tie last week, won the place after an injury to Sachin Tendulkar and following the poor form of left-hander Dinesh Mongia. "We're looking for an all-rounder ahead of next year's World Cup and we want to give Yadav an opportunity," Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said, ahead of the match. "He has done well in domestic matches. You will see him on the ground tomorrow." VVS Laxman, who struck an unbeaten 154 in the third Test, takes Tendulkar's batting slot. "It's a good opportunity for Laxman, he's a world class player. He hasn't had enough chances in one-dayers," Ganguly observed. West Indies captain Carl Hooper, meanwhile, is hoping that his team can bounce back after they were thrashed in the Test series. "The one-dayers are a totally different ball game," Hooper told reporters at the Keenan Stadium. "Hopefully we'll pick up from the positive work in Kolkata," he added. West Indies lost the first two Tests with more than a day to spare but amassed 497 in their first innings to draw the third. "We are a better one-day side compared to Tests and in the next couple of months before the World Cup we'll see how good we really are," he said. Hooper has big hopes for all-rounder Ricardo Powell. "Apart from being a good bat, Ricardo is a brilliant fielder and a handy off-spinner," Hooper said. "He should do well."

A crucial series for the fringe players, says Richards Viv Richards, who happens to be the chairman of the West Indies selection committee, feels the seven-match ODI series provides a golden opportunity for his team's youngsters to establish themselves. "It is a crucial series as we will be looking to identify the individuals who will do duty for the West Indians in the World Cup a few months from now. We hope to find the players who along with Brian Lara, who should be fit by then, will form the nucleus of the West Indian team," he wrote in his column which also appears on CricInfo. The batting great also had no hesitation in saying that India remain a formidable one-day opposition despite the absence of Tendulkar, observing that "while the West Indians could heave a sigh of relief, I don.t think they should feel that the Indians are a lesser side in his absence."

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