Skippers usually ask for the heavy roller after enduring 50 overs of absolute leather-hunting in humid conditions as a matter of routine, but Shubman Gill asked for it and clearly knew what was coming.
What followed over the next three-and-a-half hours at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati was an absolute, unmitigated carnage of historical proportions.
Driven by a record-shattering unbeaten 223 off 133 balls by skipper Gill and a vintage 75-ball 101 from his opening partner Rohit Sharma, India pulled off their highest successful men’s ODI run-chase by hunting down a monumental 406-run target set by the West Indies to seal an eight-wicket win with 39 balls to spare.
It also marked the second-highest successful run-chase of all time in 50-over cricket, after South Africa hunted down 438 against Australia in 2006, as India made a daunting multi-hundred target look like effortless work.
Earlier, the West Indies had posted a mammoth 405/7 after being sent in to bat, riding on sensational centuries from Amir Jangoo (114), captain Shai Hope (104) and John Campbell (101). On any other day, a 400-plus total would have comfortably guaranteed victory.
Gill reached his 150 off a staggering 89 balls before bringing up his double century off just 117 deliveries with a single off Lawes in the 39th over. In doing so, he broke Ishan Kishan’s record (126 balls) for the fastest ODI double-century in world cricket.
It was also Gill’s second career ODI double century, making him the only captain in cricket history to score double tons in both Tests and ODIs while leading the side. His unbeaten 223 also surpassed Glenn Maxwell’s 201 not out against Afghanistan in 2023 to become the highest individual score in an ODI run-chase.
In just the sixth instance in ODI history of three centurions in a single innings, Campbell blitzed the fifth-fastest hundred for West Indies off 65 balls, while Hope surpassed Brian Lara with his 20th ODI century, and Jangoo matched the tempo with a blazing 114 off 77 balls.
When the West Indies had three centurions in one ODI innings, it was only the sixth such instance in the format’s history.
Kuldeep had Keemo Paul caught at long-on, and got his 200th ODI wicket in 123 games – only Mohammed Shami (104) has reached the mark in fewer matches among Indians.
Brief Scores:
West Indies 405/7 in 50 overs — (Amir Jangoo 114, Shai Hope 104, John Campbell 101; Kuldeep Yadav 2-65, Ravindra Jadeja 2-75) lost to India 406/2 in 43.3 overs (Shubman Gill 223 not out, Rohit Sharma 101; Shamar Joseph 1-52, Jayden Seales 1-78) by eight wickets.
