IND vs SL: India dispatch Sri Lanka with ease following Virat Kohli's 45th ODI ton

India won the series opener by 67 runs despite a sublime century by Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka

By Chaitanya Prakash

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Virat Kohli
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Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI)

India pumped Sri Lanka in the ODI series opener by 67 runs at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Rohit Sharma's men compiled a clinical performance as the bowlers never let the Sri Lankan batters out of sight following carnage from the Indian batters in the first innings. Virat Kohli's majestic 45th ODI ton propelled India to a mammoth 373 runs, a total that never came under threat in the second innings.

Sri Lanka's chase was off to a turbulent start after the menacing Mohammed Siraj dismissed Avishka Fernando cheaply in the fourth over. Siraj's pearler to knock over Kusal Mendis in his very next over broke the back of the Sri Lankan chase. Although Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva threatened with a brisk partnership, it turned out to be a false premise as Umran Malik rattled the visitors with his searing pace in the middle overs.

Dasun Shanaka, like he so often does, played a lone hand at the end, delaying the inevitable. The Sri Lankan skipper brought up his second ODI century only to fall well short of the target. It was Siraj's fiery opening spell that set the tone for India's defense as Sri Lanka were always behind the eight ball after losing two cheap wickets at the top of the innings.

Virat Kohli shines brightest in a star-studded batting performance

Talking about the Indian innings, the hosts were invited to bat first after Dasun Shanaka called it right at the toss for Sri Lanka. Following a watchful couple of overs from the Indian opening pair of Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma, the home side started to up the ante. The duo added a whopping 75 runs in the first powerplay, as the pitch indicated a mammoth score. 

Sri Lankan bowlers looked clueless against the Indian openers before the young Gill was dismissed for a fluent 70 in the 20th over of the match. With the tone set by a belligerent opening stand of 143 runs for India, Virat Kohli entered the arena with an aggressive mindset. Rohit was looking set for another century in ODI cricket following a lean 2022 but fell to a languid shot with 83 runs to his name off just 67 deliveries.

Despite losing the Indian skipper soon after Gill's departure, Kohli continued with his positive intent. The batting superstar reached his half-century in double quick time while Shreyas Iyer departed after a handy cameo. KL Rahul, who has been donning the role of the enforcer in the 50-over format, played a blistering knock of 39 runs to help India's cause.

As the age-old adage goes, when it rains it pours. That is exactly what happened for Kohli, who stole the limelight after bringing up his 45th ODI century, his second successive in the format, and 20th on Indian soil. The Indians threatened to breach the 400-run mark, but a fightback of sorts from the visitors meant that India had to settle for 373 runs off their 50 overs.

Here is how Twitter reacted to India's comprehensive victory following a masterful century by Virat Kohli:

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India vs Sri Lanka 2023IndiaSri LankaRohit SharmaVirat Kohli