Virat Kohli's unbeaten 139 off 88 balls — an innings in which he also surpassed 15,000 ODI runs — powered India to a commanding eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the first ODI at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, 27 September. India chased down a target of 296 with 50 balls to spare, going 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Gill and Kohli's match-winning stand

India captain Shubman Gill laid the platform with a fluent 110, sharing a 151-run second-wicket partnership with Kohli before being dismissed. Kohli then carried the innings home unbeaten, displaying the boundary-clearing authority that has defined his recent form. At the post-match presentation, Gill was candid about the partnership: 'Honestly when I got out, I thought I should have finished the game. But it was a satisfying innings for me.'

Gill was effusive in his praise of Kohli's mindset: 'He's batting superbly and I think he's enjoying the game a lot more, playing with freedom — those are the facts of his batting and he always had the game, the ability to clear the boundary at will, he's doing that right now. Someone like him, who's won so many games for India, you let him be and on the day he will win the matches for you.'

Kuldeep Yadav's spell turns the match

Before India's batters took centre stage, wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was the pivotal figure with the ball, finishing with figures of 4 for 40. West Indies openers Justin Greaves and John Campbell had put on a dominant 135-run opening stand, threatening a total well above 300. Kuldeep's intervention in the middle overs dismantled that momentum entirely.

'Someone like Kuldeep, especially in the middle overs if he is bowling well, he is a wicket-taker,' Gill said. 'We were on the backfoot with their opening partnership, he got us back in the game — at one point it looked like keeping them to 300 was great.'

West Indies captain Hope flags the gaps

West Indies captain Shai Hope acknowledged that the team failed to capitalise on an excellent start, estimating they were '60 to 80 runs short'. He pointed to the middle-overs collapse as the decisive passage of play: 'They laid a very good foundation, but then we got stuck there in the middle and then it made it a lot more difficult for us in the back end to get a competitive total.'

Hope also highlighted two dropped catches — Gill on 11 and Kohli on 125 — as moments that could have altered the complexion of India's chase. West Indies were scoring at more than seven an over at one stage before Kuldeep's spell slowed their progress significantly.

Notably, opener Greaves, who struck a maiden ODI century, did not take the field during India's chase. Hope said the team would assess his condition before the second ODI, adding: 'It's unfortunate he couldn't finish the game for us today.'

India eye batting depth in remainder of series

Despite the emphatic win, Gill indicated that India are still working on their batting blueprint for the series. 'Ideally, yes, we would like an eighth batting option — someone who can contribute at least 20-30 runs. We weren't able to get the scores we wanted, but we are open to trying different combinations to see what works for us,' he said.

With Kohli in this form and Gill leading confidently from the front, India head into the second ODI with considerable momentum. The series continues with two matches remaining, and West Indies will need a significant lift — both in composing a bigger total and holding their catches — to level things up.