Virat Kohli equals Sunil Gavaskar with 55th ODI century as India beat West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram

Virat Kohli equalled Sunil Gavaskar's record with his 55th ODI century as India beat the West Indies by eight wickets in the first match of the three-match ODI series in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. Kohli remained unbeaten on 139 off 88 balls as India chased 296 to reach 300 for 2 in 41.4 overs.

The West Indies posted 295 for 7 after contributions from Justin Greaves (101) and John Campbell (62). Kuldeep Yadav produced a four-wicket spell for 40 runs that limited the visitors from extending the total beyond India’s chaseable target.

India’s reply began with a brisk start from Rohit Sharma, who made 32, before Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli combined for a 151-run second-wicket partnership. Gill finished 110 off 108 balls while Ruturaj Gaikwad remained unbeaten alongside Kohli as India completed the chase.

Kohli’s unbeaten 139 included 10 fours and nine sixes and featured a half-century reached off 40 balls. The innings came at a strike rate of more than 157 and represented his third-fastest ODI century; his fastest century came off 52 balls against Australia in Jaipur in 2013, followed by a 61-ball century against the same opponent in Nagpur in the same year.

Stat pack milestones from the knock included Kohli equalling the record for most centuries in international cricket against the West Indies with 13 — Sunil Gavaskar scored 13 hundreds in 38 matches while Kohli reached the mark in 74 matches. He also equalled his own record for the most ODI centuries against a single team with 10, a mark he also has against Sri Lanka.

Additional landmarks recorded were: Kohli becoming the second batter and the fastest to reach 15000 ODI runs, achieving the milestone in 303 innings and going past Sachin Tendulkar’s 377 innings; accumulating 7,006 ODI runs in India from 131 matches at an average of 63.69, surpassing Tendulkar’s 6,976 on Indian soil; equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s 60 List A centuries from 351 matches (England’s Graham Gooch is third with 44 followed by Kumar Sangakkara with 39); reaching 200 sixes in ODIs; hitting nine sixes in this innings after previously smashing eight sixes against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram in 2023; and recording his 25th century in a successful ODI run chase, ahead of Sachin Tendulkar’s 14.

India now lead the three-match ODI series 1-0 after the opening game in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.