Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 27 (IANS) Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 139 while skipper Shubman Gill struck 110 as India crushed the West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI at the Greenfield International Stadium here on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
After the West Indies made 295/7, with Kuldeep Yadav picking a four-wicket haul and controlling run-flow in the middle overs, Rohit Sharma and Gill gave India a quick start with a 74-run opening stand before the latter and Kohli batted the visitors out of the game with a 151-run partnership. Gill walked off to a standing ovation after his 108-ball 110, his tenth ODI hundred featuring 13 fours and a six.
Kohli, who became only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to reach 15,000 ODI runs during the innings, struck 139 not out off 88 balls with ten fours and nine sixes, the most sixes he has hit in an ODI innings. It was his 55th ODI ton and 10th against the West Indies, as India got home with 50 balls to spare.
Rohit drove the first ball of the chase from Jayden Seales for four and that set the tone for India’s successful chase. Gill was dropped on 11 at cover-point, and West Indies then wasted a review on an lbw appeal against Rohit, who slashed the next ball over sweeper cover for six.
Gill hit Alzarri Joseph for three fours in the eighth over and lifted Gudakesh Motie over cover for six, while Rohit pulled him for his third six as India reached 70/0 at the end of the powerplay. Joseph struck in the 12th over after moving deep square leg a little straighter, and Rohit miscued a whip straight to the fielder to fall for 32. It was the fourth time Joseph had dismissed him in ODIs.
Kohli got going with a top-edged pull over the keeper for six. Gill reached his fifty off 49 balls as dew set in, and with Justin Greaves off the field with a shin problem, Shai Hope had only five frontline bowlers to call on.
Kohli reached his fifty off 40 balls and then hit Joseph for three successive fours in the 29th over, the second of them making him the fastest men’s batter to 15,000 ODI runs and cross that landmark after Tendulkar. Gill completed his hundred with a drive off Seales at the start of the 31st over.
Kohli’s pulled six off Roston Chase in the 34th over brought up the 150-run stand, but Gill fell three balls later by slog-sweeping to deep midwicket. With Ruturaj Gaikwad (13 not out) giving support, Kohli danced down to loft Motie over long-on for six to reach his hundred off 74 balls, his third-fastest in ODIs and his 60th in List A cricket.
Dropped on 125 by Keemo Paul, Kohli finished the match in style, whipping Keacy Carty over deep backward square leg for six before sealing the win with another six over fine leg. Previously, Justin Greaves struck a fluent 101 off 108 balls, while John Campbell and Amir Jangoo chipped with fifties.
Put into batting in stifling heat and humidity, West Indies raced to 85/0 in the powerplay as India’s seamers struggled for control. Greaves was particularly severe on the pacers, making 56 off 55 balls against them with 10 fours, while the spinners held him to 44 off 53.
Nitish Kumar Reddy’s first over cost 18, with Greaves hitting four boundaries, one off a no-ball and another off the free hit. Gurnoor Brar nearly had him in the fourth over, but Rohit Sharma could only get fingertips to the edge at wide slip.
Campbell took on Ravindra Jadeja as soon as spin came on, hitting two sixes over long-on. Greaves cut debutant Naman Dhir for four in the 14th over to reach his fifty and bring up West Indies’ first century opening stand against India since 2019.
Kuldeep broke the 135-run stand in the 20th over when Campbell top-edged a sweep to short fine leg. Keacy Carty struggled through a tortured stay before lobbing Prasidh Krishna to mid-on in the 31st over, and Kuldeep had captain Shai Hope caught at backward point.
Greaves reached his maiden ODI hundred with a single through point but soon missed a sweep at a Kuldeep googly, and India’s review showed the ball crashing into off stump. Next ball, Jewel Andrew pressed forward to another googly from Kuldeep and edged to Rohit at slip for a golden duck.
Roston Chase and Amir Jangoo rebuilt with a 50-run stand before Prasidh bowled Chase for 24 in the 45th over. Jangoo, who took three fours off Prasidh in the 43rd over, then hit Gurnoor for successive fours and a six to reach his second ODI fifty off 38 balls.
Nitish removed Matthew Forde in the final over, and Jangoo hit unbeaten 58 off 43 balls. But the West Indies fell five runs short of reaching 300, which was utterly inadequate to challenge a rampaging duo of Gill and Kohli.
Brief Scores: West Indies 295/7 in 50 overs (Justin Greaves 101, John Campbell 62; Kuldeep Yadav 4-40, Prasidh Krishna 2-60) lost to India 300/2 in 41.4 overs (Virat Kohli 139 not out, Shubman Gill 110; Roston Chase 1-64, Alzarri Joseph 1-81) by eight wickets.
–IANS
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