Virat Kohli etched his name in cricket history by becoming only the second player after Sachin Tendulkar to surpass 15,000 runs in One Day Internationals. He achieved this remarkable milestone with an unbeaten 139 as India comfortably secured an eight-wicket victory against the West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series on Sunday.
Kohli’s commanding innings came off 88 balls, while Shubman Gill contributed a century of his own, scoring 110 runs. Together, they guided India to chase down a target of 296 with 50 balls remaining, establishing a 1-0 lead in the series.
Reflecting on his performance in Thiruvananthapuram, Kohli said the challenge of elevating his game at this stage of his career was motivating. He described the process as unlocking a new version of himself, which has allowed him to play with greater freedom and confidence, benefiting both his international and IPL performances.
The chase began with an aggressive 74-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Gill before Sharma was dismissed in the 12th over. Gill, currently the top-ranked ODI batter globally, maintained the momentum and reached his tenth ODI century with a stylish sweep shot.
Kohli then joined at number three and compiled his 86th international century. He and Gill put together a commanding 151-run partnership off 132 balls, effectively putting the match out of reach for the West Indies.
Although Roston Chase eventually dismissed Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s quick 13 runs off 19 balls helped Kohli steer India to a comfortable finish. Kohli sealed the victory with consecutive boundaries, ensuring no further threat to the chase.
Earlier, the West Indies had a strong start with Justin Greaves and John Campbell putting on 135 runs for the opening wicket from 117 balls. India struggled to break through during the first 20 overs as the pair dominated the bowling attack.
Greaves, who was dropped by Sharma on 16, capitalized on the reprieve and scored a maiden ODI century, finishing as the top scorer for the visitors. The tide turned when Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Campbell in the 20th over, catching him off a sweep at short fine leg.
Yadav and Prasidh Krishna then tightened the bowling, triggering a collapse where West Indies lost four wickets for just 22 runs between the 31st and 36th overs. Yadav ended with impressive figures of 4-40 on his ODI comeback.
Despite this, Amir Jangoo launched a counterattack, scoring 58 off 43 balls. Alongside support from Chase, he helped the West Indies recover from 198-5 to post a total of 295 runs.
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