Kohli's batting was unbelievable, says Prasidh Krishna
India fast bowler Prasidh Krishna called Virat Kohli's unbeaten 139 in India's eight-wicket win over the West Indies unbelievable. At the Greenfield International Stadium, Kohli made his 55th ODI century and became the second batter to cross 15,000 men's ODI runs, after Sachin Tendulkar. Prasidh, who took 2-60, credited clear communication and role clarity in the dressing room for his consistency. He has 15 wickets in eight matches this year, India's highest.
Source
IPL · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 139 in India's eight-wicket win over the West Indies. — Figure appears in source and is repeated consistently in the report.
- It was Kohli's 55th ODI century and he became the second batter to cross 15,000 men's ODI runs after Sachin Tendulkar. — Stated by the source as fact, no external body cited; internally consistent.
- Prasidh Krishna took 2-60 in the match. — Figure appears in source, attributed to match reporting.
- Prasidh is India's leading wicket-taker in ODIs this year with 15 wickets in eight matches. — Figure appears in source without a named statistical source.
- Mohammed Siraj was left out and India's attack included Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy. — Stated in source narrative; no team-management attribution given.
Analysts’ view opinion
Kohli's unbeaten 139 was more than a milestone knock — the manner of the eight-wicket win suggests he still dictates ODI chases on his own terms. The 55th ODI century and becoming only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar past 15,000 ODI runs are personal markers, but they also point to the middle-overs stability India wants heading into a World Cup. On the other side of the ledger, Prasidh Krishna's 2-60 came with the added burden of leading a pace attack shorn of Mohammed Siraj.
- With 15 wickets in eight matches this year, Prasidh is India's leading ODI wicket-taker in the format, which moves him from squad filler towards first-choice territory.
- Fronting the attack without Siraj, alongside the relatively inexperienced Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, has effectively made Prasidh the senior voice in that bowling group.
- His point about shared time at Gujarat Titans building rapport shows how IPL pairings quietly help national sides adjust plans under pressure.
- Crediting role clarity and constant communication for his consistency fits the modern bowling template, where structure matters as much as raw skill.
- Growing competition for pace slots before the ODI World Cup is healthy for the side, but it guarantees hard selection calls.
What to watch — Watch whether Prasidh keeps his place once Siraj returns, and whether Kohli carries this touch through the rest of the series.
The story does not establish World Cup selection thinking, the reason behind Siraj's omission, or any management view on the batting and bowling order.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
India beat the West Indies by eight wickets in an ODI series opener at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, with Virat Kohli making an unbeaten 139. The innings was Kohli's 55th ODI century and took him past 15,000 runs in men's ODIs, a mark previously reached only by Sachin Tendulkar. Speaking after the match, India fast bowler Prasidh Krishna — who took 2-60 — called Kohli's batting "unbelievable" and spoke about role clarity, dressing-room communication and the contest for fast-bowling places ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Key facts
- Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 139 in India's eight-wicket win over the West Indies at the Greenfield International Stadium.
- The innings was Kohli's 55th ODI century.
- Kohli became only the second batter in history to cross 15,000 runs in men's ODIs, after Sachin Tendulkar.
- Prasidh Krishna returned figures of 2-60 in the match.
- Prasidh has 15 wickets from eight matches this year, making him India's leading ODI wicket-taker in 2026.
- Prasidh broke into the India ODI setup in 2021.
- India's pace attack in the series opener included the relatively inexperienced Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, with Mohammed Siraj left out.
- Prasidh and Gurnoor Brar have spent two years together at IPL franchise Gujarat Titans.
Timeline
- 2021Prasidh Krishna breaks into the India ODI setup.
- This year (2026)Prasidh becomes India's leading ODI wicket-taker with 15 wickets in eight matches.
- Match day (report published 28 September 2026)Kohli's unbeaten 139 powers India to an eight-wicket win over the West Indies at Thiruvananthapuram; Prasidh takes 2-60.
- UpcomingODI World Cup, with an intense contest brewing for India's fast-bowling spots.
Who has a stake
- Virat Kohli — Extends his ODI legacy with a 55th century and entry into the 15,000-run club, second only to Tendulkar.
- Prasidh Krishna — Leading India's ODI wicket charts this year and staking a claim for a World Cup pace slot.
- Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy — Inexperienced pace options given exposure in the series opener with Siraj left out.
- Mohammed Siraj — Omitted from the series opener amid growing competition for fast-bowling places.
- Indian team management / selectors — Must pick a pace attack for the upcoming ODI World Cup from a deepening pool.
- West Indies — Lost the ODI series opener by eight wickets after being unable to contain Kohli.
Why it matters
Kohli's 15,000-run milestone places him in a bracket occupied only by Sachin Tendulkar, a marker of longevity in the 50-over format at a time when ODI cricket's relevance is often debated. For India, the bigger story is bench strength: Prasidh's rise and the exposure of Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, with Siraj rested, point to a widening pace pool ahead of the ODI World Cup.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Greenfield International Stadium is in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
- Virat Kohli's unbeaten 139 was his 55th ODI century.
- Kohli is the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to cross 15,000 men's ODI runs.
- Prasidh Krishna took 2-60 and has 15 wickets in eight ODIs this year, India's highest.
- Prasidh Krishna made his ODI debut breakthrough in 2021 and plays IPL cricket for Gujarat Titans.
- Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy formed the pace attack with Prasidh as Mohammed Siraj was left out.
Mains framing
India's eight-wicket win at Thiruvananthapuram illustrates two parallel storylines in contemporary Indian cricket: the durability of an elite batting core and the deliberate broadening of the fast-bowling base. Kohli's unbeaten 139 — a 55th ODI ton and a passage past 15,000 ODI runs, a mark only Tendulkar had reached — reflects the value of technical consistency and fitness across a long career in the 50-over format. Alongside it, Prasidh Krishna's emergence as India's leading ODI wicket-taker this year (15 wickets in eight games) is attributed by the bowler himself to institutional factors rather than individual flair: clear role definition, session-by-session goal-setting, and constant in-game communication. The presence of Gurnoor Brar and Nitish Kumar Reddy with Mohammed Siraj rested shows rotation being used to test depth before a World Cup, while IPL franchise familiarity — Prasidh and Brar's two years at Gujarat Titans — functions as an informal feeder system that accelerates on-field rapport. The way forward, on the evidence of the source, lies in sustaining this competition-plus-clarity model so that selection choices for the ODI World Cup rest on a tested pool rather than a thin first XI.
Key terms
- ODI
- One Day International, the 50-over format of international cricket.
- Greenfield International Stadium
- The Thiruvananthapuram venue where India beat the West Indies by eight wickets.
- 15,000 ODI runs club
- Landmark in men's ODI cricket reached so far only by Sachin Tendulkar and now Virat Kohli.
- Role clarity
- Team practice of telling each player exactly what job to do, credited by Prasidh for his consistency.
- Gujarat Titans
- IPL franchise where Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar have played together for two years.
- 2-60
- Prasidh Krishna's bowling figures — two wickets conceding 60 runs — in the West Indies match.
Practice questions
- Discuss how domestic and franchise leagues such as the IPL contribute to building depth in a national cricket team's fast-bowling resources, with reference to India's recent ODI selections.
- Virat Kohli's 15,000 ODI runs is cited as evidence of longevity in the 50-over format. Examine the factors that enable sustained elite performance in international sport.
- "Competition within a squad improves overall performance." Critically evaluate this claim in the context of India's pace-bowling options ahead of the ODI World Cup.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.