Guwahati: Team India scripted a golden chapter in cricket history on Wednesday, achieving the highest successful run chase in One Day Internationals. Facing a mammoth target of 406 against the West Indies in the second ODI at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, the Men in Blue chased down the total with 39 balls to spare, registering an emphatic eight-wicket victory.
The foundation of this historic win was laid by an explosive opening partnership between captain Shubman Gill and veteran Rohit Sharma, who added 255 runs. Gill played the innings of a lifetime, remaining unbeaten on 223 off just 133 deliveries, featuring 26 boundaries and eight towering sixes. During this masterclass, Gill also shattered the world record for the fastest ODI double century, reaching the 200-run mark in a mere 117 balls and surpassing his teammate Ishan Kishan’s previous record.
Rohit Sharma was equally destructive at the other end, smashing 101 runs off just 72 balls to register his 35th ODI century. His aggressive knock, studded with 10 fours and six sixes, immediately put the Caribbean bowlers under extreme pressure during the powerplay. After Sharma’s departure to Jayden Seales, Virat Kohli joined Gill to comfortably steer India past the finish line in the 44th over.
Earlier in the day, the West Indies displayed a phenomenal batting effort after being asked to bat first on a flat Guwahati track. For the first time in their ODI history, the Caribbean side breached the 400-run mark, posting a colossal 405 for 7 in their allotted 50 overs. The innings was powered by three spectacular centuries from John Campbell (101), Shai Hope (104), and Amir Jangoo (114). It was also the first time in ODI history that three West Indies batters scored centuries in the same innings.
The Indian bowling attack struggled significantly on the batting-friendly pitch. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, along with fast bowler Gurnoor Brar, managed to pick up two wickets each but were heavily punished by the Caribbean top order.
This monumental victory marks only the second instance in the history of ODI cricket where a team has successfully chased a target of 400 or more runs, and the very first time the Indian team has accomplished this staggering feat.