Retired Ranji veteran Ashok Bambi
Lucknow: Shubman Gill and his men pulled off a stunning win over the West Indies at Guwahati in the second match of the series, and the game left a trail of ODI records behind it.
It is only the second time in one-day history that a team has successfully chased more than 400. South Africa were the first, when they hunted down Ricky Ponting’s Australia’s mammoth 434. It was also the first ODI ever to feature five centuries: three from the West Indies batters, then a century and a double century from the Indians.
Gill and Rohit Sharma were clearly determined to finish the job, putting on 255 for the opening wicket in just 26 overs. Rohit raced to his 28th ODI hundred in only 72 balls. Gill started more slowly, but once he reached his fifty off 43 balls, he began sending the ball to every corner of the ground. His century came 19 balls later, the fastest by an Indian at 62 balls. He brought up 150 in 91 balls and his double hundred in 117, a world record for the fastest double century in ODIs.
The target of 406 became a formality as the West Indian bowlers wilted under the Gill tsunami. India got there before the 44th over was done.
Rohit has shown once again that he is far from a spent force, and I’m confident he will play in the 2027 World Cup. Only injury or fitness could keep him out of that mega event.
As for Gill, he is batting like a wounded tiger these days, tearing into attacks in Tests and ODIs alike. It feels as though he is telling the selectors he is good enough for T20 Internationals too.
