In the third ODI match of the Sri Lanka tour of India 2023, India beat Sri Lanka by 317 runs at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first. The decision was outstanding as team India clearly was on the front foot against the Asia Cup winners. Both the openers, Rohit Sharma (42) and Shubman Gill (116) gave India a quick start in the powerplay. Gill proceeded to score a fabulous century in just 97 deliveries. The right-handed batter from Punjab hammered 14 fours and two sixes in his inning to ease out middle-order batters’ responsibility. However, Virat Kohli (166*) had some other plans. The Delhi-based batter smashed his 46th ODI century and did not stop for less. In his inning, the legend scored 13 fours and eight sixes which helped the Men in Blue to reach a massive score of 390/5. The duo, Kohli and Gill, stitched 131 runs together for a third-wicket partnership. For fans, this was no less than a Sunday treat.
In the chase, no SL batter lived up to fans’ expectations as the team got bundled just for 73 runs. The top scores for the visitors were Nuwanidu Fernando (19), Kasun Rajitha (13) and captain Dasun Shanaka (11). No other batter could get to the double-digit mark.
While defending, pacer Mohammad Siraj claimed four wickets and just gave 32 runs. Meanwhile, Mohammad Shami and Kuldeep Yadav picked two wickets each to bowl out the visitors for just 73 runs.
For Sri Lanka, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara grabbed two wickets each. Chamika Karunaratne also plucked one wicket in the first innings.
Virat Kohli was adjudged Man of the Match for his electrifying batting performance. Following this victory, the Men in Blue whitewashed SL by 3-0 to claim the ODI series as well.
Scorecard:
India: 390/5, Overs 50, Virat Kohli 166*, Kasun Rajitha 2/81
Sri Lanka: 73/10, Overs 22, Nuwanidu Fernando 19, Mohammad Siraj 4/32