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India National Cricket Team captain Shubman Gill opened up on the performance of his side in the first ODI of the three-match series against the West Indies National Cricket Team on Sunday, September 27, at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram. India beat West Indies by 8 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Speaking after the win, Shubman Gill was delighted with his performance and that of Virat Kohli and said the whole team executed their plans in the first ODI match. He was frustrated after getting out and not finishing off the match, but he was satisfied with his innings.
Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to field first on a fresh wicket, as Naman Dhir, who earned his maiden call-up, made his ODI debut for the Men in Blue. The West Indies side went with three frontline pacers and two all-rounder options, with three spin bowling options. After being asked to bat first, they had a good start.
West Indies failed to convert a big start
Openers John Campbell and Justin Greaves made the Indian bowlers work hard for the first wicket as they stitched a partnership of 135 runs for the first wicket. Campbell was the first wicket, as the batter was dismissed on the score of 62 runs. Greaves carried on the innings as he scored his maiden hundred.
Greaves was soon dismissed for 101 runs; later on, with 175/1 at one stage, they crumbled as they lost four wickets in the span of 21 runs. Kuldeep Yadav struck for the Men in Blue in the middle overs. But a good 52-run partnership from Amir Jangoo and Roston Chase helped the side go past the 250-run mark.
Amir Jangoo scored 58 off 43 deliveries and helped the side to score a good total of 295/7 in their 50 overs. Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers with 4/40 in his 10 overs. Prasidh Krishna picked two wickets, and Nitish Kumar Reddy was the other wicket-taker.
Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill scored hundreds in a run chase
Coming out to chase, openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma were off to a breezy start as they kept the runs ticking after Gill was dropped by substitute fielder Keemo Paul. After a solid 74-run partnership, Rohit, who got the start, was dismissed for 32 runs as Alzarri Joseph gave Windies their first wicket.
Then Gill and Virat Kohli kept the runs flowing as the India captain became the fastest Indian to score 3,000 ODI runs as an opener on the night. The two stitched a 100-run partnership in 93 deliveries. The runs kept on flowing as Kohli achieved the 15,000-run milestone and Gill also scored his 22nd international hundred.
Shubman Gill was dismissed for 110 runs off 108 deliveries, as he smashed 13 fours and one six in his excellent innings in a run chase. Kohli kept on going as he finished the game for the Men in Blue, as he often does in a run chase, as he scored a hundred in 74 deliveries.
Kohli was unbeaten on the score of 139 runs off 88 deliveries as he smacked 9 sixes and 10 boundaries in his excellent innings and finished the game for the side once again with 50 balls to spare.
"He's enjoying the game a lot more": Shubman Gill on Virat Kohli
After the match, Shubman Gill shared insights into Kohli’s batting and Kuldeep’s performance in the match. He believes that Kohli has been enjoying the game more and batted excellently in the match.
Gill said (as quoted by Cricbuzz), "When I got out, I thought I should have finished it. But, it was a very satisfied innings. Probably the drive off the front foot (vs Alzarri) was my favourite. (On Kuldeep) Someone like him, if he's bowling, he's a wicket-taker. We were on the back foot, he got us back in the game and got us crucial wickets."
He added, "(On Kohli's batting) He's batting superbly, he's enjoying the game a lot more. He's playing with freedom. He always has the game to clear the boundary. He's won so many matches for the country, you want him to play however he wants to. We would want an 8th batting option who can contribute 25-odd runs. We are open to trying different combinations."
