Virat Kohli was at it again as he produced a second innings masterclass to squash the West Indies in the series’ first ODI…
India won the toss and Virat Kohli put the Windies in to bat on a flat track in Guhawati. To everyone’s surprise, the West Indian batsmen batted brilliantly to post 322 in their 50 overs. Their innings started with Powell coming out all guns blazing and his aggression put the Indian bowlers on the back-foot. India pulled things back with a couple of quick wickets in the middle overs – but Shimron Hetmyer gave his team new impetus.
The young sensation walked in and played a sensational knock as he registered a 78-ball hundred. Hetmyer was in blistering form and never looked in trouble – even when wickets were falling at the other end. 322 was a stiff target and despite an ominous Indian batting line-up, the Windies had the chance to send some shivers down their opposition’s spine. The bowlers needed a couple of quick wickets at the top to expose India’s fragile middle-order.
Congratulations to Shimron Hetmyer for making his third century in just 13 ODIs for the Windies! 💯
He reaches his ton off just 74 balls, brought up in style with a six! 👏 #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/U57lw4L6TB
— ICC (@ICC) October 21, 2018
West Indies got what they desired as Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed in the 5th over for just 9 runs, and the bowlers had their tails up. That’s when Virat Kohli came in to bat. From ball one, he looked in dazzling touch as he caressed a couple of balls to the point and cover boundary. Rohit Sharma was at the other end, but this time he was playing anchor. His captain took charge as Kohli started to toy with the bowlers. It was an exhilarating display by the pair as they timed their shots to perfection and made batting look like it was a walk in the park.
As the partnership developed, the Windies started to deflate. When Kohli reached his 36th century, the result looked inevitable. Rohit Sharma was on song, playing some mouth-watering shots – but it was also great to see him take responsibility and play second-fiddle to Kohli, who was in sublime touch. The captain and vice-captain posted their fifth 200 run partnership, which is a record in world cricket. It exemplified their ability to make the runs count once they’ve settled in.
Virat Kohli joins the elite list of Sachin Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden and Joe Root of scoring 2000+ international runs in three successive calendar years. #INDvWI https://t.co/njOxJukq6i pic.twitter.com/OuQJIGJ0z8
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) October 21, 2018
In the end, it was a canter for India as they ended up finishing the match off with 47 balls to spare. An astonishing feat considering the target they were chasing. West Indies should be proud of their batting display, but they were around 30 runs short given India’s batting power. The Caribbean side’s bowling also needs to improve, especially in the middle overs. India will be ecstatic with their performance, but will know at the back of their minds that the middle-order was not tested and that the bowlers leaked runs at the death instead of finishing off the tail.
Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the best batsman in the world and although the West Indian bowling line-up was not the strongest, you can’t take anything away from the innings he played. The shot selection was magnificent, feet movement on point, timing sublime; and it’s just unbelievable how this man is so consistent against teams in every part of the world. Kohli mentioned in the post-match presentation that he wants to enjoy his last few years of cricket. At this rate, there’s no reason to doubt that he’ll be coming out with the same determination and focus in every game to ensure that his team can win.