Shubman Gill made 110 and Virat Kohli made 139* in first ODI, adding 151 runs for the second wicket.
India captain Shubman Gill had won the toss and chose to bowl first. Windies openers John Campbell (62) and Justin Greaves added 135 runs for the first wicket. However, Greaves continued to make his maiden ODI century, hitting 101 with 12 fours.
Though Kuldeep Yadav picked a few quick wickets, Amir Jangoo’s 58* and Roston Chase’s 24 took West Indies to 295/7 in 50 overs. Kuldeep Yadav was the star for the Indian team, taking 4/40.
India had a good start as well, with Rohit Sharma (32) and Shubman Gill adding 74 runs in 12 overs. Then Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli took the game away from West Indies, adding 151 runs for the second wicket.
Gill made 110 with 13 fours and one six, and after his dismissal, Virat Kohli took charge and hammered 139* in 89 balls with 10 fours and 9 sixes, taking India to victory in 41.4 overs with 8 wickets in hand. With this win, India went 1-0 up in the series, and Kuldeep Yadav won the Player of the Match.
Both Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill, who are among the top three batters in the ICC ODI Rankings, had scored more than 150 runs as a partnership in ODIs on two occasions. Their best-ever partnership is 189 runs in the second-wicket partnership in the ODI World Cup 2023 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai.
Virat Kohli talked about how Shubman Gill went from being a newcomer to becoming a skipper and how easy it is for them to coordinate because of their expertise and experience. This video was circulated through the social media handles of BCCI.
"I've known him since the time he came into the team. I've always shared a very free-flowing and fun-filled camaraderie with him. At the end of the day, you make a conscious effort. Now he is in a leadership position; I have been in that position for a long time, and now I am a senior player. So, when senior players or the leaders in the team are smiling and laughing, keeping the environment light, all the other players feel like, 'Yeah, there's no problem at all.' Even if it is a big pressure game, everyone is laughing and having fun; it just relaxes the other guys because we are not taking pressure," Virat Kohli said in a video released by BCCI after the 1st ODI.
"When you bat with a player like that, we hardly even talk about the match. Idhar udhar ki baate ho rahi hoti hai (We just talk about random things here and there), because he knows what to do and I know what to do," he added.
According to Shubman Gill, it is the composure of Virat Kohli away from the pitch that reflects in his play on the field. The experienced player has scored a total of 523 runs in just seven ODI matches this year with an average of 87.17 and a strike rate of 116.74.
"We can all see how much Virat Bhai is enjoying his batting right now, and I think whether it be the banter on the field or off the field, I think the ease and confidence that he is batting with right now also translates from off the field to on the field," Shubman Gill said of Virat Kohli.
During his 129* knock, Virat Kohli completed 15,000 runs in ODIs, becoming the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to achieve this landmark. He was also the fastest to the milestone in just 303 innings. It was his 55th century in ODIs and 86th overall in international cricket.
"You can only play for that long if you are looking to make the team win. You can't play that long for numbers, because in your need to get numbers, you will compromise on the main goal, and you can't play for long in that manner. So, I'm lucky to have been in this position for so long, and of course, a big number like that to tick off along the way to another win is quite special," Virat Kohli concluded.
The second ODI between India and the West Indies will be hosted by the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday, September 30.