Guwahati: An authoritative Virat Kohli headlined India’s utterly dominant performance with his 45th ODI hundred as the hosts pummelled Sri Lanka by 67 runs in the first of the three-match series here on Tuesday.
Asked to bat first, India rode former skipper Kohli’s 87-ball 113 and fluent half-centuries from his successor Rohit Sharma (83) and Shubman Gill (70) to rake up an imposing 373 for seven in their allotted quota of overs on a batting-friendly strip.
In reply, the Sri Lankans were never in the hunt and ended at 306 for eight in 50 overs to hand the hosts a 1-0 lead in the rubber.
Kohli, who scored 113 against Bangladesh in Chattogram in India’s last ODI, continued from where he left.
The class of Kohli was on full display as he smashed 12 fours and one six and held on to one end while wickets fell at regular intervals in the middle overs.
This was Kohli’s third hundred from three ODIs at Guwahati — two here at the Barsapara and one at the Nehru Stadium.
He was dropped twice — on 52 and 81 — on his way to his 45th ODI century, four shy of maestro Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49 hundreds in the 50-over format.
—PTI

Press Trust of India