For the first 50 overs of the innings, well 48.5 overs, the pitch looked like a spinner's paradise - turn, variable bounce and batsmen struggling very much the norm. And the India spinners made full use of the conditions, whittling out West Indies for just 211.
The next 50 overs, though, was completely different. Maybe it was because the innings was played under lights, maybe dew was a factor. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because the chase was dominated by two batsmen with powers so high at the moment that even a high-powered pair of binoculars will not be enough to catch a glimpse of the exalted state.
Virat Kohli -- of course he was one of them -- and Rohit Sharma -- no surprises there either - breezed, quite literally walked, through the 212-run target that the West Indies had set, to ease India to 212 for four in 35.2 overs for a six-wicket victory in the first one-day international in Kochi.
Earlier, the pitch in Kochi aided the slower bowlers to the hilt, as Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Suresh Raina, with eight wickets among them, made full use of the turning, and sometimes-low-on-the-floor wicket to restrict the smash-bang West Indies to just 211 all out in 48.5 overs.
A seriously packed and noisy crowd in God's Own Country witnessed India's spinners completely strangle the West Indies batsmen from over 11, leaving India with a chaseable total to overhaul.
Chase down the total India did too in some style, leaving the Windies scratching their heads and wondering just what they need to do to win a game on this tour.
Shikhar Dhawan, for once, did not get off to a bright start, and after being troubled by Jason Holder early on, fell to the same bowler, edging one to the wicketkeeper Johnson Charles.
From there Sharma and Kohli did what they have done all year, score runs with elegant ease, making even Sunil Narine look like an ordinary bowler, on the way to putting on 133 in just 21.4 overs to take the game away from the West Indies.
Sharma threw his wicket away in over 25, while on 72 (81b, 8x4, 1x6), pulling one straight to deep-midwicket off Ravi Rampaul.
The score was 150 for two in 25 overs at that point, and Yuvraj Singh was sent in to get a hit in the middle.
Kohli (86, 84b, 9x4, 2x6) crossed 5000 runs in ODI cricket -- equaling the fastest ever with WI legend Sir Vivian Richards -- with a typically belligerent six, before throwing it away, looking for a hundred off the very next delivery, leaving Yuvraj and MS Dhoni - Raina's unnecessary dismissal notwithstanding -- to knock off the remaining runs with 88 balls to spare.
The first innings started in the worst possible manner for the West Indies, as disaster struck in just the second delivery. Chris Gayle pushed the ball to the right of the bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and scampered for a quick run. Now, Gayle is not someone who has ever been too keen on running between the wicket - staying out and smashing it out of the park is more his style.
The attempt at a quick single proved to be his downfall, as Kumar did brilliantly well to get to the ball in a flash before turning around and hitting the stumps, leaving Gayle short of the crease. To make matters worse, Gayle tweaked his hamstring while diving to the crease and had to be stretchered off the field - it was later revealed that the big man would miss the rest of the series.
The visitors did not seem to worry too much about Gayle's loss, though, as Johnson Charles and Marlon Samuels picked off boundaries via the Indian pace bowlers at will.
Jaydev Unadkat, in particular, received some excessive treatment, with Johnson latching onto the left-armer with glee and good effect.
With the heat in Kochi, the West Indies batsmen, rightly so, were happy to be dealing in boundaries - quick running between the wickets was out of the question in these temperatures - and that plan was working fine as both Johnson and Charles took their side to 65 for one in the 11th over.
Over number 11 was also the first after the mandatory Powerplay and the game tilted in India's favour once the slower bowlers came in. Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni's go-to man, first sent Johnson (42, 34b, 7x4, 1x6) packing, completing an outstanding return catch, diving full-length to his left, before Suresh Raina decided to join the spin-party.
Dhoni decided to give his CSK teammate the ball ahead of R Ashwin, another Chennai Super Kings player, of course, and it worked wonders. Raina's accuracy on a wicket that was occasionally keeping low proved to be decisive, as a ball that literally rolled around the ground dismissed Marlon Samuels (24, 35b, 2x4, 1x6) - the West Indies batsman should have been playing forward to the delivery, but nevertheless could do little as the ball rolled along the ground and hit the base of the stumps.
West Indies went from a sound 65 for one to 77 for three in 13.2 overs, and what followed was the visitors' second 65-run partnership of the innings.
It was pretty much all spin, as Dhoni basically said to the faster bowlers to just chill on the boundary line and ponder what they might need to do in the second ODI.
Darren Bravo, so classical and pure to watch, assessed the conditions really well, playing straight whenever possible and looking in good touch, punctuated by a brilliant six that he lofted over long-off at the beginning of his knock.
Lendl Simmons, normally an opener but coming down the order, gave Bravo good company at the other end and the West Indies looked on their way to a score of note, before that man Raina struck again, trapping Simmons (29, 40b, 1x4, 1x6) in front of the wicket, with Deonarine following suit soon after.
That brought Darren Bravo's half-brother and skipper Dwayne Bravo the crease, with WI in desperate need of a big partnership from the two siblings.
A 31-run partnership between the two was all that came about, as both the Bravo's fell in quick succession.
Darren (59, 77b, 4x4, 2x6), soon after reaching his half-century, was picked up by the rare species in the innings - a pace bowler -- Mohammed Shami. No prizes for guessing that it was bowled -- Shami only does that kind of dismissal it seems, as another quick delivery saw Darren Bravo's timber disturbed.
Dwayne (24, 28b, 2x4, 1x6), soon after, looking to take advantage of the extra fielder inside the circle during the batting powerplay, lost his wicket, stumped by Dhoni off Jadeja - an exclusive CSK wicket that with all three involved in the dismissal part of the same IPL team.
Sammy did not trouble the scorers too much, falling to Jadeja, who finished with figures of 10-0-37-3. WI were then skittle for just 211 as the India players walked back with satisfied smiles on their faces.
Those smiles would remain firmly locked as India eased to the target to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
