Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Kohli and India find the right template
Rohit Sharma's side ticked most boxes in an easy 67-run win over Sri Lanka in the first ODI.
Leaping in the air, pumping his right fist, screaming in joy. Virat Kohli’s trademark celebration may have faded from public memory during his nearly three-year century drought. Having got the monkey off his back during the Asia Cup T20 in September though, Kohli is now getting back to doing what he does best.
At the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday, Kohli hit his second successive ODI ton – he scored 113 against Bangladesh last month – to help India beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. It was Kohli’s 45th century in ODIs and 73rd across all formats.
The 34-year-old's innings of 113 took just 87 deliveries (12x4s, 1x6s) as India notched up a mammoth 373/7 after being sent in. Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka (108*, 88b), Pathum Nissanka (72, 80b), and Dhananjaya de Silva (47, 40b) made noteworthy contributions for the visitors, but the steep chase never seemed within their grasp. They were restricted to 306/8.
The only interest towards the end of the game was whether Shanaka could get to his hundred, which he did off the penultimate ball of the innings. There was a bit of drama in the final over when Mohammed Shami ran out Shanaka at the non-striker's end for backing up out of his crease, but the Indians quickly made light of it and allowed the batter to carry on.
Kohli’s century aside, India captain Rohit Sharma (83, 67b, 9x4s, 3x6s) and Shubman Gill (70, 60b, 11x4s) struck breezy half-centuries. With the ball for India, pacer Umran Malik claimed 3/57 in eight fiery overs.
While the benign pitch played its part, Kohli also benefitted from some sloppy Sri Lankan fielding. He was dropped on 52 by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis and on 81 by Shanaka.
Coming in at No 3 after the foundation was set by an opening stand of 143 in 19.4 overs between Sharma and Gill, Kohli got going straightaway. His first boundary came off his seventh delivery, charging at medium-pacer Shanaka and flicking the ball wide of mid-on. When the length was too short, Kohli pulled mercilessly on the leg side. When the length was too full, he aimed straight down the ground.
"My preparation and intent always remain the same," said Kohli after the game. "I thought I was hitting the ball nicely. It was close to the template I play with. I tried to understand the conditions in the second half. Tried to get a comfortable total for us on the board. The one thing I learnt was desperation doesn't get you anywhere. You do not need to complicate things. You go out there and play without any fear, I can't hold on to things. The game is going to move on. I am not going to play forever, I am in a happy space and enjoying my time playing.
Breezy start
The conditions were tailor-made for stroke-making, apparent as soon as Sharma and Gill took guard on a sunny afternoon. The surface demanded the Sri Lankan new-ball pair of Kasun Rajitha and debutant Dilshan Madushanka being precise with their lines and lengths. They were anything but that. Rajitha routinely strayed onto the pads while left-arm pacer Madushanka’s default setting was short and wide.
Sharma and Gill capitalised with a flurry of boundaries, helping India canter to 75/0 in the first 10 overs. The India skipper was the quicker of the two batters, bringing up his half-century off 41 balls with a powerful sweep against leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga towards deep square-leg for four.
Gill took 51 balls to reach his fifty, getting there in the 18th over with a quick single to mid-off. In the very next over, Gill nearly caught up with Sharma’s scoring rate by slamming left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage for three successive fours, two of which were flicks that sped to the leg-side boundary courtesy his strong wrists.
A century was up for grabs, but Gill erred in the 20th over by playing one across the line and falling leg-before wicket to Shanaka. Sharma, too, squandered an opportunity to make it count, inside-edging a widish delivery from Madushanka onto the stumps. Their dismissals halted India’s momentum just fleetingly. But with dew a considerable factor at this venue as always, the Indian batters needed to push for an above-par score. Kohli and Shreyas Iyer racked up a 40-run partnership for the third wicket in just six overs. When Iyer was caught in the deep attempting to sweep off-spinner de Silva, KL Rahul came in and registered a 90-run partnership with Kohli.
For the first 34 balls of the Kohli-Rahul partnership, there wasn’t a single boundary. The quiet spell was broken on the last ball of the 35th over Rahul sliced a low full toss from Wellalage through the point region. Kohli brought up his fifty in the next over in style, skipping down the track and dispatching de Silva for his only six of the innings.
While Rahul couldn’t capitalise on his start – he was bowled behind his legs off a slower delivery by Rajitha -- Kohli brought up his three-figure milestone in 80 deliveries.
The Sri Lankans managed to limit the damage in the final 10 overs with the ball, conceding 79 runs for four wickets. But their chase never really took off, losing three wickets within the first 15 overs. Nissanka and de Silva entertained with a 72-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but all that was left in the contest once they were dismissed was for Shanaka to bolster his batting worth.
