India carry a 1-0 lead into Guwahati as West Indies look to slow Kohli and Gill

India lead the one-day series 1-0 and move north to Guwahati on Wednesday, where West Indies have to find a way of keeping Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill quiet

The second one-day international starts at 1.30pm IST at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, three days after India chased 296 at Thiruvananthapuram with 50 balls unused.

Kohli finished on 139 not out from 88 balls in that chase and Gill made 110 from 108, taking India to 300 for 2 in 41.4 overs after West Indies had posted 295 for 7.

Shai Hope's side now have two matches in which to save a series India are treating as the start of a one-day rebuild before the 2027 World Cup.

What the opener left behind

West Indies were 135 without loss in the 20th over of the first match, Justin Greaves making a maiden ODI hundred of 101 from 108 balls and John Campbell 62 from 60 at the other end.

From there they lost their way. Kuldeep Yadav, in his first ODI since the English summer, took 4-40 from his 10 overs, and a side that had not lost a wicket was 198 for 5.

Kuldeep was named player of the match ahead of two centurions, which is a fair reading of where the game turned. West Indies' problem in Guwahati is not the start they get but the middle of the innings.

Kohli and Gill set the terms

Kohli's innings was his 55th ODI hundred and carried him past 15,000 runs in the format, a mark only Sachin Tendulkar has reached before him.

"It's really helped me a lot to play with a free mind and I think that's what's working for me," Kohli said of the way he is batting at 37, having already confirmed that the 2027 World Cup will be his last for India.

Gill, captaining the side, made his hundred from 108 balls at the other end, and the pair had the chase finished with more than eight overs in hand.

A ground that has waited

Barsapara has not staged a men's ODI since January 2023, when India played Sri Lanka there. Its first, in October 2018, was against these opponents.

The ground has kept its place on the international map in other formats, hosting a Test against South Africa last November and a T20I against New Zealand in January.

India's questions are about the attack

India left out Mohammed Siraj in Thiruvananthapuram and handed Naman Dhir a first international cap, with Rohit Sharma and Kohli both returning to the XI for the first home fixture of the season.

The squad also carries the uncapped Auqib Nabi alongside Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar, so the seam combination is the part of this side still being argued over.

Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy give the batting its depth, and Gill has two wicketkeepers to choose between in KL Rahul, his vice-captain, and Dhruv Jurel.

It is being settled without three first-choice names. Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar are in Japan with India's Asian Games squad, which is in the semi-finals there on Thursday.

West Indies need their middle order

Hope made 12 in the opener and will want more from himself, with Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Amir Jangoo and Sherfane Rutherford the batting around him.

The attack has options in Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, Matthew Forde and the left-arm spin of Gudakesh Motie, and it will need at least one of them to find something in the first 15 overs of India's reply.

Jewel Andrew, the other wicketkeeper in the squad, was dismissed for a duck in Thiruvananthapuram, one of the four wickets that took the first match away from his side.

West Indies have to win in Guwahati to take the series to the decider at Mullanpur on Saturday.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.