IND vs WI

10:11 PM local time and IST: Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli steal the limelight with their stellar performances, here in Thiruvananthapuram! Will India seal the series in the second match on Wednesday at the Barsapara Stadium, starting 2:00 PM local time? We'll find out. For now, this is the pair of Pradeep and Bidipto, taking your leave. Keep following Sportskeeda! 

Kuldeep Yadav (Player of the Match, 4/40 in 10 overs): "I loved the batting from Virat bhai (Virat Kohli) and Shubman (Gill)! The way they batted, I think standing here with this award is a bit overwhelming! I like relishing these opportunities. Yes we were under pressure, but I varied my pace, I bowled to the field and got my tactics right. When you enjoy your bowling, you bring your best out. I still believe that there is a lot of improve as a spinner, when you are in good flow, everything falls in place. I'm going to stick to the same rhythm, across formats. I love football! Watching football from an early age." 

Shubman Gill (India captain): "Honestly, when I got out, I thought that I should have been out there finishing the game! But yes, it was a good knock on my part. [On his favourite shot against Alzarri Joseph] That drive off the front foot was my pick. [On Kuldeep Yadav's bowling] He got us back in the game, got us crucial wickets in the game. [On the bowling in general] To hold them back to under 300 was a special effort! [On Virat Kohli's batting] He's batting superbly, he's enjoying the game a lot more, playing with a lot of freedom too! He always had the ability to clear the fence, now, he is bringing his A-game out! [On whether you leave Virat Kohli alone, as captain] Yes, you just leave him alone! Someone who has done so well for the country and won so many matches, you let him be. [On the composition of the team] We did want another batting option at number 8, because at times, it gets to 250-odd for five, when you find that extra batter coming out and making a mark. We want to try out some combinations too." 

Shai Hope (West Indies captain): [On the team’s total] “For sure, you have to put more runs on the board. When you’re playing on good surfaces like this in India, you’ve got to make sure you put a good score on the board. Maybe we were 60 to 80 runs short, to be fair. Once you’re bowling and trying to defend a target as low as 290, you’ve got to make sure everything goes right for you.”

[On where the innings went wrong] “I thought the guys started really well. It’s something we’ve been trying to improve on over the last couple of series, particularly the opening partnership, so I must commend the guys for the start they gave us. They laid a very good foundation, but then we got stuck in the middle, which made it a lot more difficult for us to get a competitive total at the back end.”

[On the key takeaways] “We just have to grasp those key moments. If we had got a few more runs, you never know, it could have changed the context of the game. We also had a couple of chances in the field, so you never know what could have happened there with a score of 290. You always have to believe that whatever runs you have on the board, you can defend them. But we also know there are a lot more runs available in these conditions. We just have to take the learnings from this and find ways to improve as a team.”

[On Justin Greaves] “Hopefully. I have to see now what’s going on, but it’s unfortunate he couldn’t finish the game for us.”

[On his batting in India] “Yes, for sure. I need some!” 

Virat Kohli (India): [On reaching 15,000 ODI runs] “Firstly, thank you for the kind words. My focus has never really been on these milestones. It’s about understanding the situation and doing the job for the team. Whatever achievements come along, I feel very grateful and blessed to be in this position after playing for so long. I just want to keep my head down, work hard and thank God for everything I’ve been blessed with and for the opportunities I’ve had in my life. We have a very blessed life and journey because so many people want to be here, but we get to be the lucky ones. So we better put our heads down and work hard every day.”

[On his batting and evolving his game] “It’s about understanding your game and, at the stage I’m at, keeping myself physically very fit because the game is more or less in the mind. I’ve never been a guy who practised a lot, even when I was playing all three formats. For me, it’s about staying mentally fresh, staying in the present moment and expressing myself out there. I’ve got a challenge at this stage of my career to up the ante and play a gear or two higher, and that’s exciting for me. It excites you when you have to unlock a new version of yourself at this stage of your career, and that will eventually help any team you play for, whether it’s India or in the IPL. It’s really helped me to play with a free mind, and I think that’s what’s working for me. But to have a free mind, you need a fit body. For me, it works the other way around — I stay physically fit, and then I’m able to visualise the game in the way I want to play.”

[On his mindset at this stage of his career] “I’m just very grateful and happy, to be honest. We tend to forget where we came from when we’re caught up in the hustle of the world, with all the attention, fame and love from the fans. It can be very easy to forget where you came from. But looking back at the journey from when you started as a child just makes you feel grateful. I enjoy every minute that I’m out there playing for India because I understand that I could have not been standing here or played for India at all. That could have been my reality. But I’m getting to live all these amazing moments representing my country, playing in front of big crowds and doing the job for the team. As a cricketer, this is all I dreamt of, and I’m getting it. So I have nothing but gratitude in my heart. I just want to put my head down, keep working hard, put a smile on my face and hopefully make other people smile.”

[On his message to young players] “It’s a fact we don’t want to face as athletes that even if everything ends after this game, you have to play the way you want to play the game. You have to remind yourself of that every time you go out to play. That unlocks the positivity and the mindset to take risks, which helps you win games for your team. That’s the only advice I would give the young guys: don’t think too much about everything outside the field. Once you enter the ground, this is everything, and it should be everything for you. Put your body on the line and put your head down. If you have to run four doubles in an over when you’re batting at 150, you have to do it. There are no excuses. If they play like that, they should be fine.”

[On playing fewer formats] “It’s also about clarity. We’re a year away from the World Cup, and I know what my goal is. Whatever games we get, I just need to keep working on different aspects of my game, keep myself physically fit and challenge myself to be out there, run from boundary to boundary in the last 15 overs if I can, field in the inner ring, show intensity and keep ticking all those boxes. I’ve got some time left to play in this format, and I just want to enjoy every day. When I get an opportunity, I feel happy rather than anxious or under pressure to make the most of it. I just want to express myself and play my game. I’ve promised myself I’m going to play positively because I can, so I’m going to continue to play like that, but not be reckless. There’s a fine line, and as a professional and experienced player, I should have the ability to execute in this way without playing reckless shots and get the team through.”

[On his partnership with Shubman Gill] “There’s a reason why he’s leading the team. He’s got the right perspective to look at the game and focus on making the team win from different situations. When you play with a guy like that, it’s not very difficult to string together a partnership because he knows what needs to be done, and I know what needs to be done. You can have a conversation here and there based on your experience about areas we could probably target, but he’s the top ODI batter in the world. There’s not much that needs to be said to him. It’s just about building partnerships and making sure we do justice to the ability and talent we have in this team. He’s up there with the best players in the world and is obviously a very talented guy. So there’s not much that needs to be said to him while batting. In the field, whenever he needs my help, I’m always available.”

9:32 PM local time and IST: India win by 8 wickets with 50 balls to spare! 

Virat Kohli 139* (88) | Kuldeep Yadav - 4/40 (10)
Justin Greaves 101 (108) | Roston Chase - 1/64 (10)

If it was Kuldeep Yadav with the ball, it was both Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli with the bat! Gill continues his great run in ODIs with yet another three-figure score, and the 'chase master', well, just doing, 'chase master' things, even today, after all these years! 

It wasn't the easiest of pitches to bat on at the start of the innings, but as the overs progress, dew started to make its presence felt and the surface quickened up, helping the batters to score with more ease.

But, that will take nothing away from Gill and Kohli, batting incredibly, blunting the West Indian attack and doing everything required to make the chase as comfortable as possible.

Rohit Sharma began well, but in that one over from Alzarri Joseph, lost his plot a little bit, and in the final delivery, flicked one into the hands of deep mid-wicket!

On the contrary, skipper Gill was not in the best of touches up front, but as his innings progressed, he found more control. The fluency in his batting came about prominently. His footwork against both spin and pace kept getting better, and eventually, he knew exactly what he needed to do to thwart the opposition in the chase.

Kohli, as always in a run chase, paced his knock superbly, and was not shy of taking the attack to the bowling when the West Indies weren't ready for it! Interestingly enough, he hit 9 sixes in this essay - the most in an ODI innings in his illustrious career!

15000 runs in the format, 55th century in the format, 86th in international cricket, 7000 runs in the format at home - yes, these were the milestones he reached, but most importantly, his focus, his fitness, his game-awareness and his sharpness, were on full display this evening! 

Keemo Paul, who came on as a substitute for Justin Greaves in the 2nd innings, first dropped Gill rather early on in his innings, and then, dropped Kohli late in the piece, when the match was a forgone conclusion. But, it was an evening to forget for the seam-bowling all-rounder, particularly for the first missed-opportunity, which could have turned the match on its head! 

West Indies were flat. Be it in their body language, or in their strategy, were off colour. That needs to change in the field in the second match, if they are to force a series-decider in the third game. 

41.4 Keacy Carty to Virat Kohli, SIX! GAME, SET AND MATCH! Virat Kohli finishes off in style as India go 1-0 up in the series! India make light work of a 300-run chase! They chase it down with plenty of overs to spare, stamping their authority in emphatic fashion. Short into the middle and leg, Kohli powered the pull over deep backward square-leg for a maximum.

41.3 Keacy Carty to Virat Kohli, SIX MORE! Kohli dealing in sixes here. Length delivery on the stumps, picked it up and dispatched it over deep square-leg for another maximum. Absolute exhibition of batting on display from Virat Kohli tonight. Crowd's got their money's worth entirely!

41.1 Keacy Carty to Virat Kohli, WIDE! My goodness, just goes to show the fitness levels of Kohli. Carty strays this one way down the leg-side. Hope can't collect, then Kohli hares back for a couple. Just brilliant running that.