Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 1 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly said he wasn’t surprised by Team India’s strong performance in the ongoing ODI series against West Indies as well as their Asian Games 2026 campaign so far, where the Shreyas Iyer-led Men in Blue defeated Sri Lanka to reach the final, where they will face arch-rivals Pakistan.
India’s ODI side, led by Shubman Gill, scripted a record-breaking chase against the West Indies in the second ODI at Guwahati on Wednesday, reaching the 406-run target in just 43.3 overs to win by eight wickets and seal the three-match series. The victory was powered by Gill’s unbeaten 223 off 133 balls and Rohit Sharma’s 75-ball 101.
A day later, on Thursday, another Indian team competing in a different format produced a dominant performance, with the T20I side defeating Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the second semi-final of the Asian Games 2026.
Speaking to ANI, former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised India’s strength and performance, saying the team plays well in subcontinental conditions and highlighting Shubman Gill as a very good player.
"India is a good team. It doesn't come as a surprise to anyone. They are a good team, and they play very well in subcontinental conditions. Shubman Gill is a very good player. Today we defeated Sri Lanka in the Asian Games semifinal. India is a good team," he said.
Coming to the West Indies match, India won the toss and elected to field first. Incredibly paced centuries from John Campbell (101 in 68 balls, with nine fours and five sixes), Shai Hope (104 in 94 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) and Amir Jangoo (114 in 77 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) took WI to their highest ODI total ever, of 405/7.
Gurnoor Brar (2/96), debutant Auqib Nabi (0/84 in 8.5 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/75) were thrashed by WI batters. Kuldeep Yadav (2/65) delivered the best among bowlers.
Thanks to a 255-run stand between Rohit Sharma (101 in 75 balls, with 10 fours and six sixes), Gill's double ton and cameos of 29 in 19 balls by Virat Kohli and 31* in 37 by Ruturaj Gaikwad, India has pulled off their highest ODI chase ever and overall second-highest chase in the 50-over format with eight wickets in hand.
Meanwhile, in the Asian Games semifinal clash, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field first. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (38 in 21 balls, with six fours and two sixes) delivered a solid knock, while Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson managed single-digit scores.
With India at 87/4, Ishan Kishan single-handedly revived India's fortunes with a 46-ball 80*, including four fours and five sixes, taking them to 169/7 in 20 overs. Sahan Arachchige (2/28) and Tharindu Ratnayake (2/32) were the top bowlers for SL.
SL received jolts at regular intervals, with Nuwanidu Fernando (15) being the sole batter with 10-plus runs. Jasprit Bumrah (2/7), Axar Patel (3/8), Abhishek Sharma (2/2) and Washington Sundar (1/18) skittled out SL for just 45 in 9.5 overs. (ANI)
“They play very well in subcontinental conditions”: Ganguly after India’s win over West Indies and semifinal victory at Asian Games
