Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli (PTI Photo)
Kohli smashed an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls as India beat West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI at the Greenfield International Stadium on Sunday. Gill also scored 110 as the two shared a 151-run partnership. India chased down 296 with 50 balls to spare and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Kohli also completed 15,000 ODI runs during his knock. We were on the backfoot with their opening partnership, he got us back in the game, at one point it looked like keeping them to 300 was great.”
Gill said Kohli is enjoying his cricket and making the most of his ability to hit boundaries. “Someone like him, who’s won so many games for India, you let him be and on the day he will win the matches for you,” said Gill in the post-match presentation ceremony on Sunday. India captain Shubman Gill believes the best way to get the most out of Virat Kohli is to simply let the star batter be himself. Gill also praised Kuldeep Yadav for changing the game after West Indies made a strong start.
“Honestly when I got out, I thought I should have finished the game. But it was a satisfying innings for me. He’s batting superbly and I think he’s enjoying the game a lot more, playing with freedom, those are the facts of his batting and he always had the game, the ability to clear the boundary at will, he’s doing that right now.