Skipper Virat Kohli once again showed his class in a chase, scoring a T20I career-best 94 not out as India beat West Indies by six wickets in the first match of the series in Hyderabad on Friday.
KL Rahul also struck an impressive 62 off just 40 balls to help India chase down the target of 208 with eight balls to spare.
The chase was India’s most successful run-chase in a T20I match. The previous highest successful run chase was when they chased down 207 against Sri Lanka in Mohali way back in 2009.
This was also the second biggest target chased down by a side in India, the highest being 230 which England chased down against South Africa during the 2016 World T20.
This was also the highest successful run chase in T20I cricket against the West Indies, with the previous highest chase being 206 that South Africa chased in 2007.
Opening the innings in the absence of injured Shikhar Dhawan, Rahul played fluently to score his seventh T20I fifty, during which he hit five boundaries and four sixes to make a case for himself to be in India’s squad for next year’s T20 World Cup.
Kohli, who played the second fiddle till Rahul was around, showed his class and opened up his arms to notch up his fifty of 35 balls and guided India to a rather comprehensive win as the home side reached 208 for 4 in 18.4 overs.
Rahul and Kohli shared 100 runs for the second wicket to lay the platform for the victory.
Kohli, in the end, remained unbeaten six runs shy of century. He hit six fours and as many sixes from the 50 balls he faced.
(With agency inputs)
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