West Indies suffered another defeat after India chased 296 comfortably, despite Justin Greaves’ century and a strong opening partnership.
The West Indies suffered another comprehensive defeat on Sunday, losing the opening ODI against India by eight wickets after failing to turn a promising start into a competitive total in Thiruvananthapuram.
Put into bat, the West Indies appeared well positioned after Justin Greaves and John Campbell produced a 135-run opening partnership. Greaves went on to score his maiden ODI century, making 101 from 108 balls, while Campbell added 62 from 60 deliveries.
However, India’s spin attack changed the momentum of the innings. Kuldeep Yadav claimed four wickets for 40 runs, including the dismissals of Campbell, West Indies captain Shai Hope, Greaves and Jewel Andrew, as the visitors lost wickets through the middle overs. Amir Jangoo’s unbeaten 58 from 43 balls helped the West Indies recover, but they finished on 295 for seven from their 50 overs.
The total proved insufficient against an Indian batting lineup that made the chase look straightforward. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill put on 74 for the first wicket before Sharma was dismissed for 32, bringing Virat Kohli to the crease.
Kohli and Gill then took control, adding 151 for the second wicket. Gill scored 110 from 108 balls for his 10th ODI century, while Kohli remained unbeaten on 139 from only 88 deliveries. India reached 300 for two in 41.4 overs, completing the chase with 50 balls remaining.
The result was particularly disappointing for the West Indies after their opening partnership had provided the foundation for a much larger total. Greaves and Campbell had taken advantage of India’s bowlers during the first 20 overs, but Kuldeep’s spell prevented the innings from maintaining that momentum.
Kohli’s performance also produced a major individual milestone. His unbeaten century made him only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to surpass 15,000 ODI runs. He reached the mark in his 303rd innings, the fastest player to the milestone, while also registering his 55th ODI century.
For the West Indies, the defeat leaves them 1-0 down in the three-match series and with questions surrounding their ability to convert strong starts into competitive totals against leading opposition. The second ODI will be played in Guwahati on Wednesday, with the final match scheduled for Chandigarh on Saturday.
Sources: Reuters, Sky Sports, AP, India Today and India Express.