Virat Kohli blazes to 139 not out as India crush West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram

Kohli's knockout blow in Kerala

Virat Kohli produced a vintage display of controlled aggression as India cruised to an eight-wicket victory over West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram, finishing unbeaten on 139 from just 88 deliveries. He reached his hundred off only 74 balls — the third-fastest ODI century of his career — in a knock that arrived wrapped in a fresh cluster of milestones and records.

Milestones in his sights before the first ball

The century was the headline act of a series that had opened with Kohli chasing history. Ahead of India's three-match ODI rubber against West Indies, which began on September 27, 2026, the India star needed one more hundred to become the first batter to score 10 ODI hundreds against two different teams, while 59 further runs would carry him to 15,000 in the format (Times of India, September 26, 2026).

West Indies have long been Kohli's favoured ODI opponents: entering the series he had compiled 2,261 runs in 43 ODIs against them at an average of 66.50, with nine centuries and 11 fifties.

The hundred that delivered

Kohli duly delivered in the series opener. His unbeaten 139 — comfortably clearing the 59-run threshold he needed — took him past 15,000 ODI runs, and the century stood as his 10th against West Indies, the feat the preview had flagged as making him the first player to post double-digit hundreds against two separate opponents. The innings underscored his capacity to score at a furious pace even at this stage of his career and anchored India's eight-wicket win (Times of India, September 28, 2026).