India beat West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI at Thiruvananthapuram, chasing down 296 with 50 balls to spare. Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls, while Shubman Gill scored 110.
For West Indies, Justin Greaves hit a maiden ODI century. Kuldeep Yadav won Player of the Match for his 4/40 spell that changed the game.
The Match in One Line
India won by 8 wickets. West Indies scored 295/7. India chased it in 41.4 overs at 300/2.
The margin flatters India. For 20 overs, this was West Indies' game to lose. They were 85/0 in the powerplay. Greaves and Campbell looked untroubled. Then Kuldeep Yadav happened.
West Indies Innings: The Good, The Bad, The Collapse
A Start That Should Have Been Enough
John Campbell and Justin Greaves put on 135 for the first wicket. Campbell made 62 off 60. Greaves made 101 off 108. They reached 85 without loss in the powerplay.
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India's pace attack had no answers early. Nitish Kumar Reddy's first over went for 18. Gurnoor Brar dropped a tough chance at slip. Rohit Sharma got fingertips to it but couldn't hold on.
At that point, 340 looked possible. West Indies had five wickets in hand and a set centurion at the crease. Then the middle overs arrived.
Kuldeep's Four-for Changed Everything
Kuldeep Yadav finished with 4/40 from 10 overs. He dismissed Campbell, Hope, Greaves, and Andrew.
The Campbell wicket was the turning point. Campbell tried to sweep, top-edged it, and Prasidh Krishna took a simple catch. West Indies went from 135/0 to 198/5 in the space of 16 overs.
Greaves kept going despite a shin problem. He reached his hundred but fell to a Kuldeep googly soon after. Shai Hope's dismissal was ugly—a miscued loft straight to point. Jewel Andrew lasted one ball.
Amir Jangoo's unbeaten 58 off 43 gave West Indies something to defend. Without it, they wouldn't have crossed 250.
India's Chase: The Kohli-Gill Masterclass
Rohit's Cameo and the 74-Run Start
Rohit Sharma drove the first ball of the chase for four. He made 32 off 35 before Alzarri Joseph dismissed him for the fourth time in ODIs. India were 74/1 in the 12th over.
Rohit looked good. But this night belonged to others.
Gill's Century and the 151-Run Stand
Shubman Gill scored 110 off 108. It was his 10th ODI hundred. He was dropped on 11—a regulation chance at cover—and made West Indies pay.
Gill and Kohli put on 151 off 132 balls. They didn't take risks. They picked gaps. They ran hard. By the time Gill was dismissed in the 34th over, India needed 71 off 96 balls. The game was over as a contest.
Kohli's Unbeaten 139: The Numbers and the Feeling
Virat Kohli finished on 139 not out from 88 balls. Ten fours. Nine sixes—his most in an ODI innings. Strike rate of 157.95.
He reached 15,000 ODI runs during the innings. Only Sachin Tendulkar has done that. He also became the fastest to the landmark in terms of innings.
The century came off 74 balls. It was his third-fastest in ODIs. He reached three spans with a six over long-on off Gudakesh Motie. He finished the match with back-to-back sixes off Keacy Carty.
Kohli was dropped on 125. It didn't matter. The chase was already done.
Why This Result Matters?
For India: The middle-order question got louder. Gill and Kohli bailed India out of a tricky chase. But the pace bowling—without Bumrah and Siraj—leaked runs early. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Gurnoor Brar looked inexperienced against a disciplined opening pair.
Kuldeep's form is the biggest positive. He hadn't played ODIs since July. His rhythm looked intact. His googly was sharp. His control through the middle overs is what won India this game.
For West Indies: They lost this match in overs 20–35. They had a platform for 320+. They finished on 295. Campbell and Greaves did the hard work. The middle order threw it away.
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Shai Hope admitted it after the match: "Maybe 60 to 80 runs short. When you get a platform like that, you've got to make sure you put a good score on the board".
Key Stats You Should Know
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Kohli's 139*: 55th ODI century, 10th against West Indies. Most ODI hundreds against a single opponent (tied with Sri Lanka).
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Gill's 110: 10th ODI hundred. He's now scored centuries in all formats in 2026.
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Kuldeep's 4/40: His best ODI spans since the 2023 World Cup. Player of the Match.
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Greaves' 101: Maiden ODI century. He battled a shin injury through most of his innings.
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Jangoo's 58 off 43:* Gave West Indies a fighting chance at the death.
What Kuldeep Said After the Match?
Kuldeep won Player of the Match. He felt awkward about it.
"I actually loved the batting from Shubman and Virat bhai. It was a special innings from them. It feels awkward to receive the Man of the Match award seeing the way Virat batted".
He also spoke about his own bowling: "I was very calm in my rhythm. Just bowling whatever I felt like bowling. Variations were superb. Reading the batters, where they're going to hit me".
That's a bowler who trusts his instincts again. India needs that.
The Final Thoughts
India lead the series 1-0. The scoreline says 8 wickets. The game was closer than that for 25 overs.
West Indies have a blueprint for how to trouble India: attack the new ball, take on the fifth bowler, and post 320+. They didn't execute the middle overs. That's a fixable problem.
India have a different concern: the pace attack without Bumrah and Siraj. If Kuldeep doesn't take four wickets, does India win this game? Probably not. That's worth watching in the next two matches.
For now, Kohli's 139 and Kuldeep's 4/40 are the stories. A veteran reminding everyone he's still here. A spinner reminding everyone what he can do when given a run.
The series continues Wednesday. West Indies need to win to stay alive. India need to sort out the bowling before the bigger tests arrive.
