Virat Kohli smashes his 73rdinternational ton as India romp over Sri Lanka

It was an electric start to the first ODI of 2023 for the Men in Blue as they conjured an all-round performance at Guwahati to eclipse a warring show from Dasun Shanaka and walked away with the bragging rights emphatically.

On a track that offered bare minimum assistance for the bowlers, Rohit Sharma lost the toss and was asked to bat first. Much to the relief of the Indian fans, the Indian captain returned to runs after a long time, and it was an absolute treat watching him bat.

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill seemed to be in intimidating touch as India hacked away at the Lankan bowlers until Dasun Shanaka managed to stall the cascade of runs, besting the likes of Shubman Gill with an absolute peach.
Rohit carried forth with his carnage alongside a settling Virat, but it wasn't for long as the India skipper's poles were sent for a walk by Dilshan Madushanka, allowing Sri Lanka to claw their way back in the game.

However, the newfound hopes of the visitors would barely stand in the face of Virat Kohli taking his signature stride while Shreyas Iyer brought out the big guns to leave Sri Lanka rattled.

The duo of Iyer and Kohli would add a crucial 40 runs to the total before Dhananjaya de Silva prised out the in-form Iyer, asking a couple of questions again, only to be blunted by KL Rahul's exquisite strokeplay in the forthcoming moments.

Despite the incessant flurry of wickets at the other end, Virat Kohli continued with his assault as it was the former Indian skipper who would chime in with a blistering century to take the game away from the visitors.

Kohli was dropped twice on 51 and 82 but the ace Indian batter made Sri Lanka pay a hefty price as he went onto smash a blistering century, catapulting India to a staggering 373 on the board.

Sri Lanka were jolted to a rude awakening as Mohammed Siraj landed a double whammy to remove Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis in quick succession as the visitors struggled to get off the hook. Despite a staunch show of resilience from Charith Asalanka, it wasn’t enough to provide them hope as Umran Malik claimed the latter.

The fall of Asalanka was followed by another crucial partnership between Nissanka and Dhanajaya de Silva but once again the joys of resurgence were shortlived as the Indian bowlers started tugging at the strings of decimation.

From 136 for 3, Sri Lanka crumbled down to 206 for 8 with Umran Malik chiming in with another fine display while Mohammed Siraj brought forth his excellent form from 2022 to 2023. 

However, in a stunning change of affairs, Sri Lanka managed to stay afloat in the game as their captain hammered a well-constructed century to allow them come within respectable distance but that wasn’t enough for the visitors as the hosts managed to walk away with a staggering 67-run win in the series opener.

All eyes will now be shifting to Eden Gardens as India will be hopeful of wrapping the series in Kolkata.