Thiruvananthapuram: Like old wine, Virat Kohli the batter is blossoming further with age.
Soon to be 38, Kohli aced yet another chase for Team India with a dazzling unbeaten 139 off 88 balls as the Men in Blue raced to 300/2 in 41.4 overs to hammer the West Indies by 8 wickets in the first ODI on Sunday night.
It was Kohli’s century No. 55 in ODIs, and 86th overall across formats.
Kohli, who plays only the 50-over format in international cricket now, smacked 10 fours and 9 sixes, overshadowing skipper Shubman Gill’s 10th ODI century. Gill, fortunate to have been put down at short point by substitute fielder Keemo Paul when he was on 11, went on to compile a classy 110 (108 balls, 13×4, 1×6).
Kohli reached hundred with a six, having also crossed 50 with a maximum.
The bat raise, the roar, the milestone 👏👏
A Virat Kohli show in Thiruvananthapuram 🍿
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— BCCI (@BCCI) September 27, 2026
During the course of his epic knock, Kohli added another feather to his illustrious cap as he became only the second player after the legendary Sachin Tendulkar to complete 15,000 runs in One-Day Internationals.
After Gill and Rohit Sharma (32 off 35, 2×4, 3×6) gave India a flying start, the skipper and Kohli added 151 runs for the second wicket. Following Gill’s departure, Ruturaj Gaikwad came in only to watch Kohli press the accelerator en route to the finishing line.
The West Indies earlier squandered a brilliant opening partnership between centurion Justin Greaves (101 off 108, 12×4) and John Campbell (62 off 60, 6×4, 3×6).
Kuldeep Yadav helped apply the brakes, bagging 4/40 in 10 overs.
BRIEF SCORES
West Indies 295/7 in 50 overs (Justin Greaves 101, John Campbell 62, Amir Jangoo 58*; Kuldeep Yadav 4/40, Prasidh Krishna 2/60).
India 300/2 in 41.4 overs (Virat Kohli 139*, Shubman Gill 110).
Result: India won by 8 wickets.
Man of the Match: Kuldeep Yadav.
2nd ODI: India vs West Indies on Sept 30 (Guwahati).