India barely broke a sweat in the first ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati as they raced away to a crushing eight-wicket win in the first game of the series.
Set stiff target of 323 to achieve for victory, India’s batsman made short work of the target as they notched up victory with 47 balls to spare.
The chief architect of India’s win on Sunday was skipper Virat Kohli who brought up his 36th ODI in sublime fashion. Here, we take a closer look at his innings.
STATISTICS
RUNS SCORED: 140
BALLS FACED: 107
BOUNDARIES: 21
SIXES: 2
STRIKE-RATE: 130.84
30-SECOND REPORT
The India skipper arrived at the crease after Shikhar Dhawan had fallen in the second over of India’s chase of 323. His first boundary off the bat was a streaky edge past the slip cordon.
That would be the most human Kohli would look on the pitch on Sunday as the rest of his innings was compiled with shots played with the utmost authority.
He brought up his half-century off 35 balls before bringing up a 36th ODI ton off just 88 deliveries.
Once past the 100-run mark, Kohli found another gear to his batting with boundaries and sixes raining to all parts of the ground.
He ultimately was stumped off the bowling of Devendra Bishoo but not before he had entertained the packed house at Guwahati with a 107-ball 140.
He also stitched together a 246-run stand with his deputy Rohit Sharma which is the fifth double-century stand between the pair in ODIs.
We love this sight 😍
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 21, 2018
How about you?@Paytm #INDvWI #KingKohli #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/UQL8wEollI
GOT RIGHT
While he was a touch surprised by Windies debutant Oshane Thomas’ express pace, it did not take too long for Kohli to find his range.
The right-hander did not play a shot in anger during the first-half of his innings and instead relied on some lazy elegance to carve the most gorgeous of boundaries around the park.
It was only when he brought up his century did Kohli well and truly release the shackles. He dealt only in boundaries before his hundred before striking two sixes after crossing the mark.
Virat Kohli's ODI batting average in 2018: 145.16
— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) October 21, 2018
and He is nearing 900 Runs 😱
GOT WRONG
It is hard to find many faults in Kohli’s batting these days and same was the case on Sunday.
So used are Indian fans to seeing Kohli finish the job in challenging chases that the only minor criticism that can be levied is the fact that he did not stay at the crease until the very end.
The 29-year-old was in belligerent mood after bringing up his ton and looked to be in a hurry to finish the job. Who can blame him when he is in such imperious form?
VERDICT – 9.5/10
If the Test series against England and then the West Indies showed a much more matured and calmer side to Kohli’s batting, the ODIs have once again brought back the free-flowing batsman that he can always be.
His style of batting in the Tests was attritional with Kohli looking to accumulate runs without taking any undue risks. Making his return to white-ball cricket, Kohli took off the shackles and showed why he is considered to be the king of ODIs.
By showing he can switch gears at will in different situations and still manage to attain the same results, Kohli has proved that he is a batsman who is on the absolute top of his game currently.
Firmly at the peak of his powers, Kohli’s ominous form does not augur well for the visitors for the remainder of the series and we might yet see a few more tons in the coming days.
Virat Kohli becomes only second cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to score 6000 ODI runs while chasing...
— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) October 21, 2018
