Virat Kohli celebrated his return to the international arena by hitting his 55th ODI hundred as India beat West Indies by eight wickets in the series opener on Sunday. 

India’s star batter – who now only plays this format in international cricket – smashed an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls, including 10 fours and nine sixes, as India successfully chased down 296 in just 41.4 overs.

In doing so, the 37-year-old also became only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) to pass 15,000 runs in ODIs.

“My focus has never been on milestones. Just looking back at the start of my journey, it makes me feel very grateful,” Kohli said. “I enjoy each and every minute that I am out there playing for India, and I am able to do the job for my team. As a cricketer, this is all I could dream of.”

Skipper Shubman Gill also notched a century, scoring 110 off 108 deliveries as India registered an easy win – clinched with a Kohli six – to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Earlier, West Indies had posted 295-7 from their 50 overs after being put into bat. Opener Justin Greaves (101 off 108) scored his maiden ODI ton, sharing in an impressive 135-run opening partnership with John Campbell (62 off 60) inside the first 20 overs.

Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav (4-40) ultimately accounted for both as he wreaked havoc in the middle overs to see West Indies reduced to 198-5 by the 36th.

Amir Jangoo’s unbeaten 58 off 43 balls helped revive the innings, but their target of 296 ultimately proved an under-par one on a batter-friendly pitch.

It was a quick-fire chase for India as openers Gill and Rohit Sharma added 74 off 72 balls, Sharma scoring 32 off 35 before he fell to Alzarri Joseph (1-81) in the 12th over.

Kohli came to the crease and promptly eased his way to fifty in only 40 balls, hitting the 15,000-milestone on the way – the fastest to do it at 303 innings, compared to Tendulkar’s 377.

He and Gill put on 151 off 132 balls for the second wicket before the captain departed against the run of play to Roston Chase (1-64) in the 34th over.

But Kohli cruised to a 74-ball hundred, before finishing the game in style with 8.2 overs to spare. Kohli’s nine sixes were his most in an ODI innings.

Guwahati and Chandigarh will host the second and third ODIs on Wednesday and Saturday, followed by a five-match T20 series starting on October 6.

Scottie Scheffler has been widely praised for his ‘amazing’ sportsmanship after being left frustrated by American crowd behaviour during his Presidents Cup singles victory.

The world No 1 faced Nico Echavarria on the final day at Medinah, where the Colombian was distracted by a spectator yelling in his backswing during his tee shot at the par-four 14th.

Echavarria dropped his club and stared at the culprit as his ball finished in the right rough, while Scheffler called out the heckler. The Presidents Cup rookie then had to lay up and failed to stay on the green with his third shot.

Scheffler generously conceded his opponent’s 32-foot putt for par because of the incident, extending the match, before closing out a 2&1 win to move the United States a point closer to their victory target.

“To be honest with you, I don’t even really want to talk about it,” Scheffler told Golf Channel after his win. “I think there’s no real place for that in our game.”

American fans were accused of “crossing the line” during last year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where European players were subjected to personal abuse, although there have been far less crowd issues during the Presidents Cup.

“It’s just ridiculous, somebody yelling in his swing off the tee,” Scheffler added. “You should get 30 seconds to a minute when you’re over the ball, or getting ready to hit your shot, where there’s some silence. It’s just frustrating.”

Echavarria made par at the 15th and extended the match with a stunning chip-in birdie from off the 16th green, where he shushed the home crowd in celebration, before seeing his defeat confirmed on the next hole.

“What happened on 14 with that fan was very unfortunate,” Echavarria admitted. “But he [Scheffler] gave me a 20-footer for par, which shows the character of the No 1 in the world.

“He is just different. He’s a good person overall. Even with how good he is [as a player], he’s a truly amazing guy. I wish it would have gone to the 18th, but he played well.”

On the chip-in at the 16th, Echavarria added: “It’s just frustrating with the amount of things that they say to you, so when you can give one back to them, it feels really good. Making that to keep the match going was very cool.”

Scheffler’s victory was one of 9.5 points won by Team USA on a record-breaking final day in Chicago, completing a 17-13 victory and the biggest final-day comeback in Presidents Cup history, with International Team captain Geoff Ogilvy joining the world No 1 in condoning the mid-swing yelling.

“I think for the most part out there it [the atmosphere] was great,” Ogilvy said in his press conference, having fallen short in their bid for a first Presidents Cup win since 1998. “They [the crowd] took a while to warm their voice, Chicago, but they got there today.

“I thought they should be yelling for their team – they shouldn’t be yelling in swings. I didn’t hear too much of that, but I’m sure it happened and it sounds like it’s happened a little bit.

“When you’ve got a national team or your team, gaining momentum on a day like that and this many people and hearing cheers everywhere, it’s contagious – it grows and it builds. That’s just the nature of being crowds.

“I would hope that we wouldn’t have any stories like Nico’s [Echavarria] in Australia [2028], but you can’t guarantee anything. Like I said, it’s momentum of a crowd when they get excited. They should get excited – their home team was turning it around.”

What’s next?

The United States will be back in action next September when they take on Team Europe in the Ryder Cup, held at Adare Manor in Ireland from September 17-19. The next Presidents Cup will be held in 2028 at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia.

The next PGA Tour event is the Bank of Utah Championship, held at the Black Desert Resort, with early coverage live on Thursday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf ahead of full coverage from 10pm. Get latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW.