Kohli’s ultra-attacking ODI approach delivers unbeaten 139 as India chase 299

Virat Kohli answered calls for more attacking intent with an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls in the first ODI against the West Indies at Thiruvananthapuram. His innings included 10 fours and nine sixes and came in a successful chase of 299. Kohli combined heavy hitting with control, finishing at a strike rate above 157 for the knock.

Statistical snapshot since Champions Trophy 2025 The article provides a clear run of form for Kohli after the Champions Trophy victory in 2025. Key figures cited:

• 899 ODI runs in 13 innings since CT 2025, averaging 89.90 with a strike rate of 112.51.

• Among players with 500+ ODI runs since CT 2025 and a minimum of 10 innings, Kohli had the best strike rate (112.51) and the most centuries.

Kohli has driven his six-hitting frequency up in the post-CT period. He hit 28 sixes across 11 matches highlighted in part of the analysis, making him second among Test-nation batters in that timeframe. That includes two instances of more than five sixes in an ODI innings: nine sixes against West Indies at Thiruvananthapuram and seven in a 135-run knock against South Africa the previous year. The piece cites Harry Brook as the only batter with more sixes in a single innings in the same window.

The data in the story shows Kohli reaching 50 in fewer than 50 balls six times out of nine since CT 2025, and converting to centuries in under 100 balls three times out of four: 90 balls versus South Africa, 91 against New Zealand, and 74 in the recent match versus West Indies. Those numbers are used to argue that Kohli's revised approach produces faster scoring without abandoning innings construction. Where Kohli positions himself going forward Kohli linked his change to the evolving demands of ODI cricket, noting teams aim for bigger totals and that taking risks in favorable conditions helps match or exceed those targets. He framed his decision to take more calculated risks as a way to add 30–40 extra runs when the game situation and pitch allow, and to set himself up to "hit more at the end."