September has come and gone. But it has created a storm that was courageously created by a world class opponent that we now know why, even better than before, is rated so highly. That is Team India. Who else? One shall not forget for times to come what happened on the 30th as world cricket saw a saga. An epic date in Cricket’s history. What happened just now was an explosive, towering and unforgettable day in the great sport’s timeline.
Let’s break it down in terms of sheer significance of the numbers an achieved and boy what numbers were created and records broken!
Six hitting for fun- the way of Indian batters in the 2nd ODI
India batters during the run chase had already hit 12 sixes by the time the 27th over had begun. The West Indians had hit 12 sixes collectively.
35th ODI ton for the Hitman
What a game, what an innings and yet again, a Hitman special, isn’t it!
Rohit Sharma crossed his 12000th run in One Day internationals, becoming the 7th international player to do so. And it’s a feat that shall remind time and again, fans and critics both of his impact and his legacy that is one to watch, still taking newer shapes.
The match also saw the highest opening run stand between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill who scored 255 for the first wicket and that too, in the run chase!
Shubman Gill’s batting heroics
Creating the world record for the fastest double hundred in international ODI cricket, reaching his 200th run of the knock off just 117 deliveries, Shubman Gill’s batting heroics were sublime.
As a batting experience, it was frankly speaking, an empowering sight for the Indian cricket establishment, an ennobling experience to those who had witnessed his cracker of a batting effort. But at the same time, his third century of this year was also a painful sight to endure if you were a West Indian supporter.
The beauty behind the savagery with the bat
223 runs and that too, unbeaten runs off just 133 deliveries! That’s when he opened the innings, absorbed the pressure and converted a sheer voluminous ask into a breathtaking sight marked by achievement.
He’s not called the prince for nothing. Isn’t it? Shubman Gill is that special.
While Gill struck his second one day century on the bounce in the series and for the first time, two consecutive centuries against the West Indies, there’s more to his 2026 ODI run making.
The right hander who recently turned 27, completed his latest century off just 62 odd deliveries.
On the whole, where his year stands as on date, Shubman Gill has already struck well over 700 runs in 50-over cricket in 2026. That’s when he’s played all of 10 innings.
Moreover, earlier this year he had hit a towering 154 against Afghanistan during the month of June in the bi lateral series where India utterly dominated their opponents.
With a quarter of a year still left in 2026, Shubman Gill has struck 3 ODI centuries in the year. If that doesn’t define or determine domination- in such a notable manner- then one wonders, what is?
A start so soaring that it converted a humongous ask seem light work
Utterly brutal and completely in control of the game’s proceedings, India were in a league of their own.
To speak of being in some commanding fashion, during the run chase, the Indian team had already crossed 300 runs off just 30 overs going at over 10 an over having just lost a wicket.
What was rather empathic in the end to see was that India were so much in control of the game, so utterly in command of the run chase, that the hosts needed just 34 off the last 10 overs.
Just 34 runs. That is when they were tasked to score 406.
Highest record chase ever recorded by India in ODIs
The glory belongs to the one who persists and in this case, perhaps unsurprisingly so given their sheer talent and form, it belonged to India.
A monumental batting effort by India that saw them complete a comprehensive and record shattering ODI run chase seemed like a walk in the park for them. Was it always going to be so easy?
Not even one that had the barest of jitters. On the contrary, it left the West Indians huffing and puffing with the likes of two impressively fast bowlers of the caliber of Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph appearing clueless.
And at the end of the day, the record run chase, such an exemplary example of the kind of form Team India is in, only saw two wickets falling down.
That is when 6.3 overs which is 39 deliveries were left in the tank if that can give any example of the ruthlessness in which India chased down the huge run ask.
Spare a thought for the West Indies
How often has one seen, it must be asked, someone ending up on the losing side despite putting 406 runs?
That’s not an everyday scenario. The West Indians were the ones who seemed totally out of context that’s when their batters had done nothing wrong.
In fact, they were the ones, especially the top three who helped the side compile over 400 runs. Make no mistake, something that was made possible by a batting trinity up the order that did the magical job whilst playing away from the familiar comfort of batting on Indian pitches.
But here’s what must not be forgotten about the game in which over 800 runs were scored.
The West Indians were called giants in the past during cricket’s bygone era. But on September 30, 2026, they played like giants once again in posting their best ever ODI score, going past the 389 run mark that was achieved in a bi lateral series against England back in the 2018-19 season when the mighty Gayle had scored a 162 at St George’s at Grenada.
Given their sensational first inning effort, it was rare, it was beautiful and it was absolutely marvellous to see three West Indians score centuries.
The way John Campbell batted heroically, his 101 followed by captain Shai Hope’s 104 and then Amir Jangoo’s 114, the visitors reached a position of ascendency early on in the contest, albeit something that India in turned on its head completely.
Just how might a certain Shai Hope be feeling right now? Lest we forget, he is someone who though reached his 20th ODI century, and even went past the legendary Brian Lara’s ODI tally (for the West Indies), still ended up on the wrong side of the result. What might be haunting him more- the fact that India made the West Indies’s first ever 400-plus run total seem ridiculously easy or the very fact with the West Indies bowlers not even a 400 plus run first inning total seems safe, let alone secure?
