IND vs WI 2nd ODI: Gill’s Unbeaten 223, Rohit’s Century Sets Up India’s Record Chase In Run-fest (ld)

2nd ODI: Gill’s unbeaten 223, Rohit’s century sets up India’s record chase in run-fest (ld) (Guwahati: India vs West Indies - 2nd ODI)

Though Sherfane Rutherford: 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. But on a humid night in Guwahati, Gill ensured the match would belong entirely to India.

 

Coming into the chase requiring a steep 8.12 runs per over, the dynamic Indian duo extinguished the threat within the first powerplay itself. Rohit and Gill launched a furious, synchronised assault of boundaries that left Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, and Alzarri Joseph utterly bewildered.

 

India motored to its fifty in seven overs before sprinting to 100 inside 12 overs. Rohit got to his half-century off 32 balls, while Gill was even more ruthless – after getting his fifty in 39 balls, he registered his hundred off just 62 deliveries.

 

By the time India reached 200 in 21.1 overs, their fastest team double-hundred in 50-over cricket, the West Indies attack was visually demoralised. Keacy Carty dropping Rohit on 84 off wrist-spinner Vitel Lawes only compounded their misery.

 

The masterclass opening stand finally came to an end at 255 runs, the highest opening partnership for India in an ODI chase, when Jayden Seales trapped Rohit lbw with an off-cutter as Rohit’s stunning hundred also saw him cross the monumental milestone of 12,000 ODI runs.

 

Virat Kohli made a brief, breezy 29 off 19 balls, including three fours and a six, before holing out to a brilliant boundary-line relay catch by Sherfane Rutherford off Shamar Joseph. But by then, India had reduced the remainder of a chase to a mere formality.

 

He may not have hit the winning runs at the end, but this historic night unequivocally belonged to Gill, who played an absolute epic in Guwahati. Battling severe leg cramps in the extreme humidity during the closing stage of the chase, Gill continued to pull, drive, and loft with supreme elegance and disdain to hit 26 boundaries and eight sixes at a monstrous strike rate of 167.67.

 

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.

 

Fittingly, Ruturaj Gaikwad provided calm support at the end with an unbeaten 31 off 37 balls and got the winning single to complete a legendary victory and spark wild celebrations in the Indian dressing room and across the stands.

 

Previously, a pin-drop silence settled over a packed Guwahati crowd as West Indies stunned the hosts into morgue-like quiet, powering to their first-ever 400-plus ODI total. 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.

 

Filling in for the injured Justin Greaves, Campbell set the early tempo with a 29-ball fifty, and reached 69 off 39 inside the powerplay. Hope provided class and stability to prevent a collapse similar to Trivandrum, while Jangoo was arguably the pick of the trio, dominating the middle overs and ensuring the off-colour Indian attack got no respite.

 

Prasidh Krishna started with a maiden, but the innings turned quickly once Campbell found his range. Auqib Nabi, making his ODI debut, was taken for 17 runs in the fourth over by Campbell. Keacy Carty fell for nine in the fifth over when Naman Dhir held a diving catch at cover point off Prasidh, after the third umpire confirmed the fingers were under the ball.

 

Shai Hope walked in, and Campbell kept going as Prasidh conceded 22 in the seventh over, with the latter hitting a six and three fours, as the West Indies reached 50 in 6.1 overs. Campbell brought up his fifty in 29 balls, the fastest for West Indies against India in ODIs, and added another six off Gurnoor Brar in the following over, apart from carting Dhir for boundaries.

 

After the West Indies closed the power-play at 96/1, Campbell then took only 65 balls to reach his hundred, the second fastest by a West Indian in ODIs, but was out for 101 when he top-edged a pull off Brar to deep square leg. Hope, meanwhile, was dropped on 15 by Kuldeep off his own bowling and on 27 by Virat Kohli at mid-wicket.

 

He reached his fifty in 53 balls and then got his fourth ODI century against India off 89 deliveries. He fell for 104 when Kuldeep, who had gone wicketless until then, forced a slog and Nabi took a simple catch at third man. Jangoo was steady in his strokeplay and went from 59 off 54 balls to 100 off 70 deliveries. He cut Naman, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja square on the off side repeatedly.

 

Though Sherfane Rutherford skied Brar to substitute Yashasvi Jaiswal for a golden duck, and Jangoo fell after cutting Jadeja to Ruturaj Gaikwad at backward point. By that stage, the West Indies had three centurions in one ODI innings, 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. Jadeja removed Alzarri Joseph by having him caught at deep mid-wicket, but Roston Chase (29 not out off 25) and Shamar Joseph (14 not out off 8) ensured a big finish by adding 36 runs from the last five overs to take the West Indies past 400.

 

India's attack took a heavy beating. Nabi conceded 84 runs, the most by an Indian bowler on ODI debut, going past Karsan Ghavri's 83 against England at Lord's in 1975. Brar, Jadeja and Kuldeep took two scalps each, but had high economy rates.

 

Though India will be hugely worried over the lack of penetration and impact created by their pacers in consecutive games, they will be pleased with Gill, the top-ranked ODI batter, and Rohit sharing an epic stand and helping them get over the line with ridiculous ease.

 

Brief Scores:

 

Though India will be hugely worried over the lack of penetration and impact created by their pacers in consecutive games, they will be pleased with Gill, the top-ranked ODI batter, and Rohit sharing an epic stand and helping them get over the line with ridiculous ease.

 

Article Source: IANS