Mohini Yadav
Ajit Mohan Yadav
India’s week against West Indies moved from the largest kind of ODI hitting to the shortest format’s quickest response: a 406-run chase in Guwahati on Wednesday 30 September, a five-wicket defeat in New Chandigarh on Saturday 3 October, and an eight-wicket T20I win in Lucknow on Tuesday 6 October. Along the way came two selection calls, while Shreyas Iyer marked his first T20I century as captain.
Wednesday 30 September: Guwahati turns into a batting theatre
The second ODI was the sort of scorecard that made a 50-over match feel like an evening of powerplay cricket. West Indies made 405 for 7, with John Campbell, Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo all reaching three figures. India then chased 406 for 2 in 43.3 overs, winning with 39 balls unused.
Shubman Gill supplied the extraordinary centrepiece: 223 not out from 133 balls. His double-century arrived from 117 balls, the quickest in ODI history according to ESPNcricinfo’s report, and it was the highest score in a successful ODI chase. Rohit Sharma’s 101 gave Gill the platform, the pair adding 255 for the opening wicket. India’s chase was only the second successful pursuit of more than 400 in ODI cricket.
The conditions explain part of the evening but not all of it. There was little movement for the bowlers and the outfield was fast, yet Gill’s innings still demanded fitness and control as well as force. The match produced five individual hundreds, a remarkable detail in a game whose main lesson seemed to be that the ball was not going to stay quiet for long.
For India, the victory also made the series score 2-0. It was an emphatic result, but the long night left a practical concern in the background: Prasidh Krishna had bowled only five overs before an injury ended his spell.
Thursday 1 October: the squad changes shape
The next day, the BCCI confirmed the immediate consequence. Prasidh had sustained a left hamstring injury during the Guwahati ODI and was ruled out of the third match. Anshul Kamboj was named as his replacement and joined the squad in Chandigarh.
There was a second change, this time with the T20Is in mind. Washington Sundar was withdrawn from the T20I squad so he could prepare for the coming Test series against New Zealand, with the Ranji Trophy season beginning on 11 October. Naman Dhir replaced him in the T20I group.
Those decisions gave the week a useful seam across formats. Kamboj was brought in for an ODI that India had already won as a series; Dhir entered the T20I plans as a player who could contribute in more than one discipline. Neither move was presented as a grand reset. They were specific responses to injury and red-ball preparation, but both would matter within days.
Saturday 3 October: 351 is not enough
New Chandigarh supplied the other side of the week’s batting story. India made 351 for 7 after choosing to bat first, with KL Rahul unbeaten on 129 and Rohit making 92. It was another imposing total, yet West Indies chased it down at 352 for 5 in 48.2 overs, winning by five wickets.
Shai Hope carried the chase from start to finish for 162 not out from 143 balls. Amir Jangoo added 67, and Keemo Paul’s 44 helped West Indies manage the middle of the innings after Sherfane Rutherford’s dismissal. Hope’s hundred was his 21st in ODIs, and the chase became West Indies’ highest successful one in the format.
The defeat was not simply a case of one batter getting away. India’s bowling had no Jasprit Bumrah or Hardik Pandya, and the attack struggled to close the match once the pitch settled. ESPNcricinfo noted at least six dropped catches and ordinary ground fielding from West Indies too, yet the visitors still finished the job. India also had to bowl the final four overs with an extra fielder inside the circle after falling behind the required over schedule; the finish became increasingly untidy, and Hope punished the loose moments.
That made the contrast with Guwahati sharper. On Wednesday, India’s batting erased a 405. In New Chandigarh, a 351 could not protect them. The ODI series ended 2-1, with Gill named player of the series after 334 runs, but the last match left India with a clear area to repair before the white-ball group moved on.
Tuesday 6 October: a new captain answers quickly
The T20I opener in Lucknow changed the scale of the contest. West Indies made 171, with Hope scoring 52 from 37 balls and Rutherford 56 from 34. India’s target was substantial in a 20-over match, but the chase was over in 14.4 overs: 172 for 2, an eight-wicket win and a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Naman Dhir’s first T20I was an immediate return on the selection decision. The replacement for Washington took 3 for 31 from four overs, while Axar Patel claimed 2 for 26. That gave India control before the chase became a showcase for Iyer.
Iyer finished unbeaten on 102 from 43 balls, with 10 fours and six sixes. It was his maiden T20I century, made while India’s new T20I captain led from the front. He reached three figures with a six over long-on, then India finished the chase two balls later. Ishan Kishan stayed with him on 37 not out from 27 balls after India lost Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma early.
The innings had a different texture from Gill’s 223. Gill had to carry a huge ODI chase through the middle overs; Iyer arrived at 35 for 2 and turned a manageable target into a one-sided finish. The scorecard moved from four totals above 350 in the ODIs—405, 406, 351 and 352—to a 171-run target in Lucknow. That was not just a change of format. It was a change in the amount of time India needed to make a statement.
What the week leaves behind
There is no need to force one verdict across six days. India’s ODI batting was imposing, but the New Chandigarh loss showed that totals alone cannot cover a thin or unsettled bowling day. The selection changes then brought preparation and opportunity into the same conversation: Washington went toward Tests, Dhir stepped into the T20Is, and Kamboj took the ODI opening created by Prasidh’s injury.
The early T20I answer was encouraging. Dhir contributed with the ball, Iyer led from the front, and India were ahead 1-0 before the series moved on. Fans can follow the next score through FairPlay’s live scores, use the cricket hub for the wider schedule, and keep up with new reports in the site’s news section. After a week that began with an impossible-looking chase and ended with a captain’s hundred, the most useful diary note is simple: India’s batting has set the pace; the bowling still has questions to answer.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo: Gill 223* sets up record chase for India · ESPNcricinfo: Hope 162* beats Rahul 129* as West Indies pull off record chase · BCCI: Prasidh Krishna to miss third ODI, Naman Dhir replaces Washington Sundar for T20Is · ESPN: Shreyas Iyer’s maiden ton hands India crushing win
This piece was written by the FairPlay Editorial Desk with AI assistance, using the published sources above. It was reviewed by Mohini Yadav and Ajit Mohan Yadav of the FairPlay editorial team before publication. To report an error, see our Editorial Policy.
