An Oddsworth Opinion
What does West Indies’ biggest ODI total really change?
The story
CricTracker reports that West Indies made their highest ODI total in Guwahati against India. The innings also brought an unprecedented achievement for West Indies, with three batters making centuries together in an ODI.
CricTracker · 30 September at 13:46 BSTWest Indies post highest-ever ODI total of 405/7 against India in GuwahatiRead the full storyWest Indies reached a new batting peak with 405/7 in Guwahati, built around three centuries in the same ODI innings for the first time in their history. India still won by eight wickets. That result should shape how we celebrate an innings that set a new standard for West Indies batting.
The centuries give the achievement substance beyond the total: several batters carried their innings through to hundreds. West Indies have demonstrated the ambition their batting can sustain. India’s chase makes it equally clear that asking the batters to keep raising their highest score is an unreasonable route to winning.
A higher ceiling
The immediate comparison is striking. West Indies made 295/7 in the opening men’s ODI of this series, then 405/7 in Guwahati. That is a substantial improvement in scoring, and the shared centuries deserve recognition as an achievement in their own right.
We should encourage that ambition. But declaring a lasting batting transformation already gives this innings more weight than it can carry. West Indies’ next task is to make substantial totals a dependable feature of their cricket.
India set the benchmark
Our men’s ODI ratings give West Indies a 41% chance of beating an average Full Member side on neutral ground, against India’s 72%. Guwahati’s batting achievement came against a side we rate substantially higher, which strengthens the case for taking it seriously.
Those ratings assess the whole team, and the chase exposed the distance West Indies still have to travel. Their batting has shown it can set India a formidable target. Their attack must now make that work count.
The next demand
Our forecast gives West Indies a 13% chance of winning the next men’s ODI against India, whose chance is 87%. Even after a record innings, West Indies face another demanding assignment.
We should want the same batting ambition again. The stronger demand belongs to the bowlers: West Indies cannot build progress around requiring their batters to surpass the greatest total they have ever made.
Saturday 3 October 2026, 2:00pm IST