On Sunday, India defeated Sri Lanka in the third ODI by a score of 317 runs at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram (January 15). Virat Kohli made headlines with a 166* off 110 balls, while Shubman Gill extended his strong run in one-day internationals with a 116-run innings to help India achieve a massive total of 390/5 while batting first.
From the start, Mohammed Siraj dominated the Sri Lankan hitters. He removed Avishka Fernando in the second over, and Sri Lanka never looked like they were going to put up a fight. Siraj took three more wickets to eliminate Sri Lanka’s chances of victory.
Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammad Shami each took two wickets as Sri Lanka were knocked out for 73 runs in 22 overs (73/9 with Ashen Bandara missing owing to an injury incurred during fielding).
This is the largest margin of victory in ODI history. India’s next task is a six-match white-ball series against New Zealand, which begins on January 18, while Sri Lanka visits New Zealand on March 9 for two Tests and a six-match white-ball trip.
Kohli’s Quest for Sachin’s ODI Hundred Record Continues
Kohli stole the stage once again, scoring 166* off 110 balls with 13 fours and eight sixes at a strike rate of 150.90. This was his third century in the past four innings and his 46th in ODIs. He is currently just three hundreds behind Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI record of 49 centuries, and he is expected to smash it in the coming months with ODIs against New Zealand and Australia.
Gill’s Position in ODI Squad Further Solidified
The 23-year-old hit his second ODI century to solidify his position in the team. With the 2023 One-Day World Cup only a few months away, Gills is strengthening his case for the starting berth with skipper Rohit Sharma.
Despite blasting a double century in his previous ODI innings, Ishan Kishan will have to settle for a bench spot, while Shikhar Dhawan is unlikely to be recalled to India’s ODI squad.
Let’s take a look at what the captains had to say –
The Losing Captain, Dasun Shanaka of Sri Lanka, said –
“It’s disappointing. Not a game we wanted. It happens. We need to learn how to manage the start. Bowlers should learn how to take wickets on these decks and the batters should learn to score. [Inured players] No idea, will have a look after this finishes. [Looking forward] Playing positive cricket is the more important thing. If the boys show intent, the bowling would have been different. Congratulations to Indian team for this performance.”
The Winning Captain, Rohit Sharma of India, said –
“I thought it was a great series for us. We bowled pretty well, got wickets, breakthroughs when we need. Batters throughout the series piling up those runs was good to watch. [When was the last time a fast bowler in India had four slips and a gully?] Don’t remember that. Was good to see how Siraj was bowling and deserved the slips. The way he is swinging the ball, he is a rare talent. And in the last couple of years, we have seen him go from strength to strength. We tried all sort of things to help him get five but it couldn’t. But the confidence is there and we can see in the way he is running. He is working on a few tricks. Not given too much thought about [NZ]. We’ll get there and see and there will be a change in combination from what we saw today. We want to work like we did in this series to get the result we want.”
