Virat Kohli Scores 139* and Passes 15,000 ODI Runs as India Beat West Indies Easily

At the Sports Hub International Cricket Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, India opened their three-match ODI series against West Indies with a confident eight-wicket win on Sunday.

West Indies posted 295 for seven in their 50 overs, boosted by Justin Greaves’ maiden ODI century of 101 runs and John Campbell’s 62. Their opening partnership of 135 runs set a strong platform, but India’s wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav then turned the game around. He took four key wickets for 40 runs, breaking the momentum of the West Indies middle order.

Chasing 296, India made light work of the target, reaching 300 for two in just 41.4 overs. Opening batsman Shubman Gill scored a well-paced 110 runs, sharing a 151-run partnership for the second wicket with captain Virat Kohli.

Kohli was the star of the innings, scoring an unbeaten 139 runs from 88 balls with 10 fours and nine sixes. This remarkable innings also took him past the 15,000 runs mark in One Day Internationals, becoming only the second player after Sachin Tendulkar to achieve this milestone. Kohli is noted as the fastest to reach 15,000 ODI runs.

The match marked Kohli’s 55th ODI century and his tenth against West Indies. His powerful batting helped India reach the target comfortably with 50 balls to spare, giving them a 1-0 lead in the series.

India’s strong middle-order batting and Kuldeep’s effective bowling were crucial in overcoming a promising start from West Indies. The next ODI in the series will be held in Guwahati on Wednesday, followed by the third match in New Chandigarh on 3 October.