India's talisman Virat Kohli finally returns to action to much fanfare and fervour during the three-match ODI series against the West Indies, set to commence
on September 27. The mercurial batter's recent appearance in the format came on July 19 against England at Lord's. He returns to take on one of his favourite teams, as recorded by his stats in the Windies, and will once again be looking to put on a show.
Of his mind-boggling 14,941 runs in 314 ODI appearances in Indian colours, Kohli has scored 2,261 runs in 43 matches against the West Indies. He leads the way among Indians as the batter with the most runs against the Men in Maroon, comfortably ahead of Rohit Sharma in second at 1,613. Kohli's runs have come at a strike rate of 96.95, and a whopping average of 66.5. He has scored 11 half-centuries and 9 centuries, underlining his ability to convert a start into a big score against these opponents.
What are Virat Kohli's most significant ODI innings against West Indies?
Kohli's highest score against the Windies is an unbeaten 157 he scored in the second ODI of the five-match series in Visakhapatnam, where the then-skipper's knock saw the Indian side put on a mammoth 371 for 7, which the Windies managed to tie in the end. That knock was his second of three centuries in the series.
One of his most notable innings, however, came in the first match of that series, where he scored a brilliant 140 off 107 balls, helping India chase down a mammoth total of 326, stitching a 246-run stand with partner-in-crime Rohit Sharma, who scored an unbeaten 152. ANother notable innings came in the third ODI at Port of Spain, where the 'Chase Master' put on a show, scoring an unbeaten 114 off just 99 balls to help India chase down a score of 255 in just 13 overs.
How has Virat Kohli shaped series results against West Indies?
Kohli has been able to influence series against the West Indies on multiple occasions with the bat. The talismanic batter has bagged three Player of the Series awards against the West Indies. The first came in late 2013 when he scored 204 runs in three innings. The five-match ODI series in India in 2018 saw Kohli score 453 runs in five innings, recording three centuries. He then followed it up with another player of the series performance, this time away from home, scoring 234 runs in two matches, recording centuries in both games.
Kohli comes into this series with his last ODI appearance coming in the 2-1 series loss in England, where he managed 144 runs in three matches, recording scores of 65 and 74 in the last two matches. He will be raring to go against familiar foes, and secure his case for the 2027 ODI World Cup, and further his legend in the ODI format.
Virat Kohli's record vs West Indies in ODIs
| Matches | Innings | Runs | HS | Average | SR | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 41 | 2,261 | 157* | 66.5 | 96.95 | 9 | 11 |
List of Virat Kohli's ODI centuries against West Indies
| S. No | Score | Ground | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 117 | Visakhapatnam | 2 Dec 2011 |
| 2. | 102 | Port of Spain | 5 Jul 2013 |
| 3. | 127 | Dharamsala | 17 Oct 2014 |
| 4. | 111* | Kingston | 6 Jul 2017 |
| 5. | 140 | Guwahati | 21 Oct 2018 |
| 6. | 157* | Visakhapatnam | 24 Oct 2018 |
| 7. | 107 | Pune | 27 Oct 2018 |
| 8. | 120 | Port of Spain | 11 Aug 2019 |
| 9. | 114* | Port of Spain | 14 Aug 2019 |
