Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill smashed tons as India put up a mighty batting show with a total of 390/5 in Trivandrum after opting to bat.
The pitch at the Greenfield Stadium was ideally suited for strokeplay and it was gauged well by India’s top order. The tone was set by a 95-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Gill. The duo started off watchfully, getting only 19 in the first five overs. But the sixth, bowled by Lahiru Kumara, opened the floodgates.
Rohit started by flicking him wristily for a six over midwicket before turning the strike over to Gill, who promptly stroked four boundaries in succession to pick up 23 and set India on the path they’d take on in the rest of the innings.
The duo matched each other shot for shot to get close to a fifty before Rohit fell pulling Chamika Karunaratne straight to fine leg on 42. But Gill got good support from Kohli, who walked in seeming in great touch. Kohli drove Karunaratne through the covers for a boundary off just his second ball. And followed it up by toying with Jeffrey Vanersay’s lengths as he drove and cut him for boundaries in successive balls. Gill got past fifty soon after and kept his momentum up with another six off Vandersay.
Sri Lanka were unable to launch much of a challenge to either batter although a few deliveries kept low infrequently and Gill survived an LBW review against Wanindu Hasaranga after gloving it. But otherwise, the pitch offered good value for shot-making which came in plenty.
Kohli unleashed a flurry of eye-catching shots including short-arm jabs over cover, the traditional drives and even a wristy whip over long on for a six which was one of his eight sixes, the maximum he’s hit in an ODI innings.
While Gill fell soon after getting to his second ODI ton, falling to a Rajitha delivery that kept low, Kohli took on the mantle of powering the innings ahead having got to a fifty. Kohli was also supported well by Shreyas Iyer, who kept the momentum up with a 32-ball 38. Kohli was left to wait on 99 after a collision at the boundary between Ashen Bandara and Jeffrey Vandersaay saw them both being stretchered off. But his 46th ODI ton came with a single as soon as the game resumed, and also kickstarted a phase where he went on a boundary-hitting spree. He hit 66 off the last 25 balls he faced and also gave India the perfect finish to land a massive total.
