Virat Kohli smashed a magnificent 55th ODI century as India chased down West Indies’ 295 with ease, after Justin Greaves had earlier produced his maiden ODI hundred in a commanding opening stand.

Virat Kohli produced another vintage ODI performance in Thiruvananthapuram, smashing a breathtaking century to lead India to a comfortable victory over West Indies in the opening match of the series.

Chasing 296, India raced to the target in just 41.4 overs, with Kohli finishing unbeaten on a spectacular 139 and Shubman Gill contributing a century of his own.

The night, however, had begun with another batter reaching a landmark.

Justin Greaves struck his maiden ODI century and shared a 135-run opening partnership with John Campbell to put West Indies in control early on. But Kuldeep Yadav’s return to the ODI side changed the complexion of the innings before Kohli took centre stage during India’s chase.

Greaves Leads West Indies’ Excellent Start

West Indies made an aggressive start after being asked to bat, with Greaves and Campbell immediately putting India’s bowlers under pressure.

Greaves looked particularly fluent against the new ball, repeatedly punishing anything overpitched. India experimented with the ball early, including giving Nitish Kumar Reddy an opportunity, but West Indies continued to score freely.

Greaves reached his century after an impressive innings that combined controlled strokeplay with calculated aggression, while Campbell provided strong support at the other end.

The pair’s 135-run opening stand gave West Indies an ideal platform and, for much of the first half of the innings, India struggled to find a breakthrough.

Kuldeep Changes the Game

India desperately needed a breakthrough in the middle overs, particularly with Jasprit Bumrah unavailable and Mohammed Siraj unable to make a significant impact.

That is when Kuldeep Yadav stepped forward.

Returning to the ODI side after being left out of India’s previous series, Kuldeep immediately made an impact and claimed four of the first five wickets to fall.

Campbell was his first victim, beaten in the air while attempting a sweep and offering a low catch at short fine leg.

Kuldeep then helped India dismantle the West Indies middle order. Shai Hope attempted to increase the scoring rate but was beaten in flight and sliced a catch to point.

Greaves, having battled cramps during his innings, eventually fell for his century after attempting another sweep against Kuldeep. The spinner successfully reviewed the original not-out decision, with ball-tracking showing it would have hit the top of off stump.

West Indies suddenly collapsed from 176 for 1 to 198 for 5, losing four wickets for just 22 runs.

Jangoo Gives West Indies a Competitive Total

Despite the collapse, West Indies recovered through Amir Jangoo.

Jangoo played an aggressive innings of 58 from 43 balls, providing the late impetus required to push West Indies towards a competitive total.

They eventually finished on 295, leaving India with a challenging target on a surface offering some turn for the spinners and movement for the seamers.

Greaves’ century had provided the foundation, but Kuldeep’s spell ensured West Indies could not convert their excellent start into a much larger total.

Kohli Takes Over

If West Indies had hoped their total would put India under pressure, Virat Kohli quickly erased those doubts.

The chase became the Kohli show.

The veteran batter attacked from the outset, beginning his boundary assault with a six off Alzarri Joseph before repeatedly finding ways through and over the field.

His innings grew increasingly destructive as he moved through the gears.

Kohli struck nine sixes, his highest tally in an ODI innings, and repeatedly targeted both pace and spin. His battle with Joseph was particularly one-sided, with Kohli scoring 53 runs from just 26 balls against the fast bowler.

By the time he reached his century, the packed Thiruvananthapuram crowd was fully behind him.

Another Landmark for Kohli

Kohli’s hundred was his 55th in ODI cricket, further extending his record tally in the format.

He also crossed 15,000 ODI runs during the innings and moved level with Sachin Tendulkar on 60 List A centuries.

It was another landmark performance from a batter who continues to produce extraordinary numbers in the format.

But the statistics only tell part of the story.

Kohli’s nine sixes and relentless acceleration demonstrated just how aggressively he approached the chase. Rather than simply guiding India towards the target, he dismantled the West Indies attack.

Gill Completes the One-Two Punch

At the other end, Shubman Gill provided the perfect partner.

The India captain produced a controlled century of his own, reaching his 10th ODI hundred in only his 67th innings, making him the third-fastest batter to reach the milestone.

Gill allowed Kohli to take the attacking role for long periods but also produced his own moments of brilliance, including an inside-out six against Gudakesh Motie.

The pair turned the chase into a procession.

India’s required rate steadily disappeared as Kohli continued to attack, and the target was eventually completed in the 42nd over.

Two Centuries, One Dominant Indian Chase

The match featured two outstanding individual centuries.

Greaves’ maiden ODI hundred was the cornerstone of West Indies’ impressive start and gave them a platform from which they could have built a much larger total.

Kuldeep’s four-wicket haul prevented that from happening.

Then came Kohli.

His unbeaten century completely changed the mood of the contest, transforming India’s chase into a dominant display. Gill’s century added further weight to the performance as India completed the chase with more than eight overs remaining.

Greaves had given West Indies hope.

Kuldeep had brought India back into the contest.

But under the lights in Thiruvananthapuram, Virat Kohli owned the night.