A captain’s knock from Dasun Shanaka was not enough as India registered the win in the first One Day International (ODI) as Virat Kohli shined for India against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Having won the toss, Sri Lanka had put India to bat first in the match being played in Guwahati’s Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Barsapara Stadium. The men in blue were given the perfect start to the innings openers Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill putting up a 143-run stand for the first wicket.
However, for India, it was former skipper Virat Kohli who ran the show. Coming to bat at one down, Kohli went on to score a brilliant 113 runs to record his 73rd international and 45th ODI ton. Kohli had been dropped twice by Sri Lanka and took full opportunity of the chances to go on to record another century.
A strong performance from the top order ensured India ended the innings with 373 runs on the board. The match already demanded a top performance from the Lankans, who could not manage to do so despite a valiant effort from skipper Shanaka.
Dasun Shanaka top scored for Sri Lanka with 108 runs in a losing effort. Opener Pathum Nissanka (72) and Dhananjaya de Silva (47) were the only other notable contributions in Sri Lanka’s innings.
For India, Mohammed Siraj gave the team the early breakthrough, paving the path for a victory. However, it was youngster Umran Malik who shone with the ball. Malik scalped three wickets in his eight overs, albeit a bit expensive. During the match, the upcoming star recorded the fastest delivery by an Indian in international cricket clocking at 156 kmph.
Towards the end of the match, a moment of sportsmanship won the hearts with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opting to call off an appeal for a mankading attempt by Mohammed Shami in the last over against opposition captain Shanaka. Shanaka was on 98 runs and in the non-strikers end when Shami dislodged the bails with the on-field umpire signaling to the third umpire. Howver, Sharma quickly ran to withdraw the appeal allowing the Lankan skipper to complete his century.
In the end India won the match by 67 runs with Sri Lanka managing to score 306 in their 50 overs for the loss of eight wickets. With the win, India take a 1-0 lead in the series.
