Gill, Rohit power eight-wicket victory in 2nd ODI against vs WI
Skipper Shubman Gill clobbered an unbeaten 223, the fastest double hundred in 50-over cricket, and Rohit Sharma belted a 101 as two generations of super stars came together to give India a series-sealing eight-wicket win over the West Indies in the second ODI here on Wednesday.
West Indies might have desperately hoped that 405 for seven remained target far from Indians but how wrong were they! The former captain, who snatched the crown for the fastest ODI 200 (117 balls) from his teammate Ishan Kishan (126 balls), and his successor, who made his 35th one-day century, piled 255 runs for opening wicket in just 26.2 overs as India made 406 for two in 43.3 overs.
On a night when records tumbled at furious pace, India also recored their highest ODI run chase, and now they are only behind South Africa who lead the world pecking order with the chase of 435 against Australia in 2006 at Johannesburg.
The storm always has a precursor. The Barsapara pitch had already shown its batting-friendly nature when West Indies batters John Campbell (101; 68b), Shai Hope (104; 94b) and Amir Jangoo (114; 77b) scored hundreds of their own.
But once Indians ended their chase those centuries now resemble calm beach breeze. The home side bettered their previous best chase of 362 for one against Australia in Jaipur in 2013.
However, the initial challenge for India was to pull off their first-ever 400-plus chase, and Rohit and Gill took it a notch higher with a dazzling array of strokes.
Along the way, Rohit brought up 12,000 ODI runs, becoming only the seventh batter and third Indian after Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli to reach the landmark, before reaching another ODI hundred with an uncharacteristic little hop and jump celebration. Gill earlier brought up his 11th ODI century in just 62 balls — his fastest in the format. The duo attacked from the outset, combining clean hitting with superb placement. Gill was particularly fluent, using his wrists to place deliveries in the gaps and then stepping out to drive spinners over the infield.
Rohit, on the other hand, brought out his trademark pull and pick-up shots, while also finding the boundaries with crisp drives through off side. India raced past 100 inside 12 overs and then shifted into an even higher gear as Gill brought up his fifty from 38 balls, while Rohit reached his half-century in only 32 deliveries. The pair’s assault soon turned the daunting target of 406 into a realistic possibility.
By the 22nd over, India had reached 200 without losing a wicket -- the first time an opening pair did that in an ODI chase of a 350-plus target.
The partnership eventually ended at 254 when Rohit fell for 101 off 75 balls, but by then India needed only 151 from 24 overs which was mere peanuts by the way the host batters showing their strength, even the pitch remained flatter than an asphalted free way.
After being sent into bat, Campbell set the tone with a 65-ball hundred as the West Indies’ batters ruthlessly exposed India’s inexperienced pace attack.
A self-confessed admirer of Chris Gayle, Campbell channelled the inner Universe Boss perfectly, flaying the Indian attack with brute power and freedom in his 101 off 68 balls (9x4, 5x6).
Hope and Jangoo then kept the West Indies in complete control through the middle and late overs, maintaining a scoring rate around eight an over. Hope was the anchor and accelerator in one, building his innings carefully before stepping on the gas to make full use of the reprieve he got when he was dropped on 27 by Virat Kohli, with the ball bursting through his hands at short midwicket.
The skipper brought up a superb 104 off 94 balls, with eight fours and three sixes, keeping the tempo high rather than allowing India to claw their way back.
Jangoo complemented Hope perfectly, mixing calculated stroke-play with aggression and reached his second ODI century off just 69 balls, finishing on 114 with 13 fours and three sixes as the Windies brought up three centuries in an ODI for the first time. The total surpassed their previous best of 389 against England in 2019.
In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who is on the Asian Games duty, and Mohammed Siraj, who is still sitting out, India continue to expose youngsters ahead of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.
But the pace attack threw more questions than answers. With proven campaigners such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami still being overlooked, India’s search for options beyond the established names hardly looked convincing. Auqib Nabi, who became the third cricketer from the Valley to represent India, endured a forgettable outing, conceding 84 runs in his 8.5 overs.
Operating at military-medium pace, Nabi struggled to contain West Indies on a flat surface. Gurnoor Brar, used as the second-change bowler, was the best among the three returning 2/96, while Prasidh Krishna finished with 1/45 in five overs.
