Guwahati :
Records galore at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium as Captain Virat Kohli and Vice Captain Rohit Sharma smash centuries and India chase 323 against WestIndies in the first ODI with 8 overs to spare and 8 wickets remaining.
Virat Kohli made 140 (107) with 21 boundaries and 2 sixes and Rohit Sharma finished with a six, remaining not out on 152 (117) with 15 fours and 8 sixes. Shikhar Dhawan clipped early onto the stumps. He made only 4. He was the first international wicket to debutant Oshane Thomas. Ambati Rayadu remained unbeaten on 22 (26).
WestIndies batting first made an above average score of 322/8 in their 50 overs. 21 year old Shimron Hetmyer smashed a brilliant 106 off 78 balls with 6 boundaries and 6 long sixes. Kieran Powell 51 (39), Captain Jason Holder 38 (42), Shai Hope 32 (51) had starts but couldn’t go big. The final assault from Kemar Roach 26 (22) and Devendra Bishoo 22 (26) took the score in the excess of 300.
Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of Indian bowling order picking up 3 wickets and giving only 41 runs. Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami picked up 2 wickets each.
Chase Master #ViratKohli brings up his 36th ODI century in only 88 balls. #Kohli has taken 204 innings to reach to the 36 century mark, #SachinTendulkar took 311 innings. This is #Kohli's 60th Century. Yes ! You read it right.#INDvWI #1stODI #Guwahati pic.twitter.com/wfda2yXkgL
— The POST (@thepostindia) October 21, 2018
This is Virat Kohli’s 22th century in runchases, 14th as captain, 15th at home and 5th against the WestIndies. Also, Kohli joins the elite club of Sachin Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden and Joe Root to score 2000+ runs in 3 successive calender years.
#RohitSharma brings up his 20th ODI 💯 in only 84 balls #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/rhnQBKztQE
— The POST (@thepostindia) October 21, 2018
This is the 5th time Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have made a partnership of 200+ runs, most by any pair. Gautam Gambhir and Virat, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Gangully, Upul Tharanga and Mahela Jayawardene have done it thrice.
The partnership of 246 between Virat and Rohit is India’s highest partnership in ODIs bettering Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli’s 224 against Srilanka in Kolkata.