On a day when Virat Kohli became only the second cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to reach 15,000 ODI runs, it was Kuldeep Yadav who may have had the biggest reason to send a message to India’s team management.
Kept out of the ODI series in England, Kuldeep produced a match-winning spell of 4/40 as India defeated West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram. West Indies, batting first, posted 295/7 in their 50 overs, but India chased down the target in just 41.4 overs, finishing on 300/2. Kuldeep was named Player of the Match.
The significance of his performance was that West Indies had appeared to be heading towards a much bigger total. Justin Greaves and John Campbell put on 135 for the opening wicket, with Greaves scoring his maiden ODI century. At 176/1, the visitors looked capable of pushing towards 350.
Then Kuldeep changed the game.
The left-arm wrist-spinner removed Campbell, Shai Hope, Greaves and Jewel Andrew, putting the brakes on the innings while conceding only four runs an over. His intervention reduced West Indies to 198/5 and ensured India had a manageable chase.
And what followed was a batting masterclass.
Shubman Gill scored 110 from 108 balls, while Kohli smashed an unbeaten 139 off just 88 deliveries. The pair added 151 for the second wicket after Rohit Sharma’s 32 ended an opening stand of 74. Gill’s century was his 10th in ODIs, while Kohli’s innings included nine sixes and took him past the 15,000-run landmark.
Their partnership effectively ended the contest. Gill provided the stability and aggression required in the middle, while Kohli accelerated spectacularly to finish the chase alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad.
For Kuldeep, however, the message was perhaps even more important. His county stint appears to have sharpened his game, and this was another reminder of the value of having a genuine wicket-taking wrist-spinner in the middle overs.
With the 2027 World Cup approaching, India will hope they have learned the lesson: Kuldeep is not a bowler they can afford to keep on the bench.
