India secured a commanding victory over West Indies in the opening ODI in Thiruvananthapuram, fueled by centuries from Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill, and a four-wicket haul from Kuldeep Yadav. The batting display was highlighted by a record-breaking performance from Kohli, who joined Sachin Tendulkar as the only players to eclipse 15,000 ODI career runs. Kohli achieved this milestone in 303 innings, significantly faster than Tendulkar’s 377. His unbeaten 139 included nine sixes, the most he has struck in a single ODI innings, and marked his 55th ODI century. 2 Kohli became the second batter after Tendulkar to reach the milestone of 15,000 ODI runs, when on 61. Kohli reached there in 303 innings and 15,950 balls, compared to 377 innings and 17,528 balls by Tendulkar.
Kohli’s statistical dominance extended across various metrics. He now holds 60 List A centuries in 338 innings, matching Tendulkar’s record, with 55 of those occurring in ODIs for India. Notably, he has scored 10 ODI hundreds against West Indies—a joint record for a batter against a single opponent—and claimed the top spot for ODI runs scored within India, reaching 7,006 in 128 innings. His 74-ball century was his third fastest in the format and tied for the third-quickest for an Indian against West Indies. 60 Hundreds by Virat Kohli in all List A one-day cricket across 338 innings – the joint most in the format alongside Sachin Tendulkar, who had as many across 538 innings and reached his 60th in his penultimate innings. 55 of Kohli’s 60 three-figure knocks have come for India in ODIs while five came for Delhi across 18 innings. Both his quicker hundreds came in the 2013 home series against Australia: off 52 balls in Jaipur and 61 balls in Nagpur. It also happens to be the most by an Indian batter against West Indies in ODIs surpassing Rohit Sharma’s eight in Guwahati in 2018.
Shubman Gill also achieved a significant personal milestone, reaching his 10th ODI century in just 67 innings. This makes him the joint-third fastest player to reach the mark, trailing only South African duo Quinton de Kock (55) and Hashim Amla (57), and eclipsing Shikhar Dhawan’s previous Indian record of 77 innings. Remarkably, Gill scored his century while committing only a single false shot, the lowest recorded by an Indian batter in the format.
The collective efficiency of the Indian lineup was historic. The team recorded a mere ten false shots across their 41.4-over innings, representing a 4.3% rate—the lowest ever for an ODI innings between two Full Member nations lasting at least 20 overs. Kohli himself showcased exceptional aggression, scoring 53 runs off 26 balls from Alzarri Joseph and striking at 157.95, his third-highest rate in an ODI where he faced at least 30 balls.
The day was globally prolific for cricket, witnessing six individual ODI centuries across three separate matches. In addition to Gill and Kohli, Temba Bavuma (103), David Miller (142), Tom Banton (126), and Justin Greaves (101) all reached three figures. This marks the first time in history that six centuries have been scored in a single day of ODI cricket, surpassing the previous record of five instances set on six different occasions, most recently during the 2023 World Cup. Which he reached in 2023, also at the same venue, he equalled his own tally of ten against Sri Lanka. 9 sixes by Kohli is the most by him in an ODI innings surpassing eight by him against Sri Lanka at the same venue in 2023.
Comments