Kohli's unbeaten 139 powers India to 8-wicket win over West Indies

India beat West Indies by 8 wickets in the first match of the three-match ODI series. The match was played at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, where India won the toss and chose to field first.

West Indies' batters looked in good form in the powerplay, putting India on the back foot early. But in the final session, spinner Kuldeep Yadav's bowling broke through the West Indies middle order. At one point it seemed West Indies would go past 400 runs, but the Indian bowlers fought back and brought the total under control. West Indies were bowled out for 295 for 7 in their first innings.

Justin Greaves scored a century (101) for West Indies, but Kuldeep Yadav did not let him cut loose. Kuldeep also dismissed captain Shai Hope (12) and opener John Campbell (62), finishing with figures of 4 wickets for just 40 runs in the first innings. Amir Jangoo remained unbeaten on 58 in the middle order, and it was his innings that helped West Indies reach a respectable 295. Besides Kuldeep, Prasidh Krishna took 2 wickets and Nitish Kumar Reddy took 1, while Ravindra Jadeja, Gurnoor Brar and Naman Dhir did not have much impact in the match.

Chasing a target of 295, the match was significant for India in several ways, especially for Virat Kohli. Kohli needed just 59 runs to reach the milestone of 15,000 runs in ODI cricket, while also needing to guide his team to victory. After completing his half-century, Kohli became the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to score 15,000 runs in ODIs. Not stopping there, Kohli went on to score a brilliant century, finishing unbeaten on 139 off 88 balls with 10 fours and 9 sixes. He was well supported by captain Shubman Gill, who scored 110 runs off 108 balls with 13 fours and 1 six. Opener Rohit Sharma delighted fans with an innings of 35 runs, hitting 2 fours and 3 sixes, while Ruturaj Gaikwad, batting at number four, remained unbeaten on 13. India chased down the target, reaching 300 for the loss of 2 wickets in just 41.4 overs.

The next ODI of the series will be played in Guwahati on September 30.