India effortlessly brought down West Indies in the second ODI in Guwahati on Wednesday, hunting down a gigantic total of 405 in 43.3 overs to clinch an eight-wicket win. With the victory, India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with captain Shubman Gill being the cornerstone of a record-breaking chase.
After the victory, India captain Gill admitted that the enormous target had created some pressure around the halfway stage of the innings. But he and Rohit Sharma kept their focus on manageable goals to smoothly anchor the chase. Gill revealed that their aim was to put together around 75 to 80 runs without losing a wicket.
“First, we had a target in the powerplay that if we get around 75-80 runs without losing any wicket, that would be a good start. We thought initially the ball might do a bit with the new ball. Once the ball gets old, the wicket would get much better to bat on,"
"One side was very short, so we thought we're going to target that side whenever the fast bowlers came on. And at about 25 overs, I thought if we are around 200-210, we'll be in a good space. But I think we were around 230-240.
"I think after the powerplay, the pressure never really was on us; it was more on them. And we didn't lose any wickets up until halfway through our innings. So, that was a great bonus for us."
Gill, with his sublime batting, transformed the chase into a historic individual performance, blasting an unbeaten 223 off 133 balls. That was also his second double-hundred in ODI cricket. Rohit Sharma also played a pivotal role, bringing up a superb 101 off 75 deliveries. Both Rohit and Gill stitched a massive 255-run partnership.