Kohli's 73rd intl ton helps India set mammoth total, Sri Lanka need 374 to win 1st ODI

The former captain reached his 45th ODI hundred and 73rd across all formats and then let out a roar and tore off his helmet to bask in the stadium's applause.
India's Virat Kohli plays a shot during the first one-day international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in Guwahati, India, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 (Photo | AP)
India's Virat Kohli plays a shot during the first one-day international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in Guwahati, India, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 (Photo | AP)

GUWAHATI:  Virat Kohli drove India's batting charge with an attacking 113 to steer the hosts to 373-7 against Sri Lanka in the opening one-day international on Tuesday.

The superstar cricketer survived two dropped catches on 52 and 81 in his 87-ball knock after India were invited to bat first at the start of the three-match series in Guwahati.

Skipper Rohit Sharma (83) and fellow opener Shubman Gill (70) put on 143 runs to lay the foundations for the mammoth total.

India's Virat Kohli celebrates scoring a century during the first one-day international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in Guwahati.(Photo | AP)
India's Virat Kohli celebrates scoring a century during the first one-day international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka in Guwahati.(Photo | AP)

Kohli stood firm after the duo's departure and, despite losing partners at the other end, took to the opposition attack with 12 fours and one six.

The former captain reached his 45th ODI hundred and 73rd across all formats and then let out a roar and tore off his helmet to bask in the stadium's applause.

He finally fell to third-time-lucky quick Kasun Rajitha, who was also bowling when wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis and skipper Dasun Shanaka dropped the star batsman.

Gill hit three successive boundaries off debutant left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka in the fourth over and Rohit smashed two sixes and a four off Rajitha to begin the batting charge.

Rohit, who returned to captain the side after missing India's 2-1 Twenty20 series win, reached his fifty with a four and Gill raised his half-century a short time later.

Gill took on Dunith Wellalage with three successive fours in one over before he fell lbw in the next to Shanaka's medium-pace bowling.

Rohit attempted to keep up the attack with regular boundaries but Madushanka cut short his knock with a length ball that bowled the Indian skipper off an inside edge.

The rest of the innings belonged to Kohli, who has hit two successive ODI hundreds since coming out of an extended lean patch last year.

Teams: India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik, Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka(c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka,Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha and Dilshan Madushanka.

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