Virat Kohli hits 55th ODI century and passes 15,000-run mark as India beat West Indies
Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls to fire India to an eight-wicket win over West Indies in the first ODI, becoming only the second player after Sachin Tendulkar to pass 15,000 ODI runs.
Dominant win to open the series
India beat West Indies by eight wickets in the opening match of their three-match ODI series on Sunday at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, according to Sky Sports and the ICC, taking a 1-0 series lead. West Indies, batting first, posted 295-7 from their 50 overs, with opener Justin Greaves scoring a maiden ODI century (101 off 108) in a 135-run opening stand with John Campbell (62 off 60). India's Kuldeep Yadav then took 4-40 to reduce West Indies to 198-5 by the 36th over, before Amir Jangoo's unbeaten 58 off 43 balls helped the innings recover.
Kohli's landmark innings
Chasing 296, India completed the target in just 41.4 overs. After openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma added 74 off 72 balls (Sharma making 32 off 35 before falling to Alzarri Joseph in the 12th over), Virat Kohli came to the crease and reached fifty off only 40 balls, passing 15,000 ODI runs along the way — the fastest to do so in history, in his 303rd innings compared with Sachin Tendulkar's 377. Kohli became only the second batter, after Tendulkar (18,426 runs), to reach the milestone.
Kohli and Gill (110 off 108 balls, dismissed by Roston Chase in the 34th over) added 151 for the second wicket before Kohli brought up his century off 74 balls and finished unbeaten on 139 off 88 balls, hitting 10 fours and nine sixes — his most sixes ever in a single ODI innings. He sealed the win with a six, with 8.2 overs to spare.
Eyes on the 2027 World Cup
Kohli, who has already retired from Test and T20I cricket, told JioStar/ICC that the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last tournament for India, and said he remains determined to help the team win the trophy after losing the 2023 final. He also spoke of taking on a new challenge at this stage of his career — aiming to play with a "free mind" at a higher level, which he credits to staying physically fit. The series continues in Guwahati and Chandigarh, followed by a five-match T20 series starting on 6 October.
