SPORTS DESK
Guwahati: India today showed a stunning batting display to chase down 406 runs against the West Indies in the second ODI at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, winning by eight wickets with 39 balls to spare. The victory gave India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The West Indies had appeared to put the match beyond India’s reach after posting a mammoth 405 for seven in 50 overs, their highest-ever total in ODI cricket. John Campbell, captain Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo all scored centuries, with Campbell making 101 off 68 balls, Hope 104 off 94 and Jangoo 114 off 77.
India, however, responded with one of the most extraordinary successful chases in ODI cricket. Captain Shubman Gill smashed an unbeaten 223 off 133 balls, while Ruturaj Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 31 as India reached 406 for two in 43.3 overs.
A remarkable turnaround
A score of 405 would ordinarily have put immense pressure on the chasing side. The fact that India reached the target with more than six overs remaining made the result even more striking.
India’s chase was built around aggressive strokeplay rather than a cautious attempt to preserve wickets. Gill and Rohit repeatedly found the boundary, forcing West Indies to defend large areas of the field.
Once Rohit was dismissed after his century, Gill continued at an extraordinary rate. His ability to maintain the scoring tempo meant West Indies never had an opportunity to bring the required rate under control.
A match of extraordinary numbers
The Guwahati ODI produced several major milestones:
- West Indies: 405/7 — their highest-ever ODI total.
- India: 406/2 — successfully chased the target in 43.3 overs.
- Shubman Gill: 223* — his second ODI double century.
- Gill’s 200 came in 117 balls, reported as the fastest ODI double century.
- Rohit Sharma: 100 — his 35th ODI century.
- Rohit also became the third Indian to reach 12,000 ODI runs.
- West Indies had three centuries in the same ODI innings — Campbell, Hope and Jangoo.
- India now lead the three-match series 2-0.
Series sealed for India
The Guwahati victory means India have now taken an 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, following their eight-wicket victory in the opening match at Thiruvananthapuram.
In that first ODI, West Indies had posted 295 for seven before India chased the target in 41.4 overs. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 139 and Gill made 110, while Kohli also crossed the 15,000-run mark in ODI cricket.
The second match therefore continued India’s strong batting form, but the scale of the Guwahati performance was considerably greater.
The West Indies can now only avoid a clean sweep when the teams meet in the third ODI.
Guwahati turns into a run-making spectacle
The Barsapara Cricket Stadium witnessed a contest that was dominated almost entirely by the bat. Between the two innings, 811 runs were scored, with eight wickets falling across 93.3 overs.
West Indies had three centuries. India had two. Yet the difference between the teams came from India’s ability to sustain an exceptional scoring rate throughout the chase.
For West Indies, the defeat will be particularly difficult to absorb after producing their highest ODI total and three individual hundreds in the same innings. For India, however, the match demonstrated the depth of their batting and the extraordinary form of their captain.
Gill’s 223 not out will understandably dominate the headlines, but the significance of the result goes beyond one individual innings. India successfully chased a 400-plus target, Rohit crossed 12,000 ODI runs, and the team secured the series with a match still to play.
The third ODI will therefore provide West Indies an opportunity to salvage something from the series, while India will look to complete a clean sweep after a Guwahati contest that has already entered the record books.