Kohli’s ton leads India to record ODI rout of Sri Lanka

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India (AP):

Virat Kohli scored his 46th One-Day International (ODI) hundred to lead India past Sri Lanka and complete a 3-0 whitewash in the series yesterday.

Kohli hit 166 not out off 110 balls, his second-highest ODI score, as India reached 390 for five in 50 overs. Shubman Gill also scored his second ODI hundred.

In reply, Sri Lanka were scuttled out for 73 runs in 22 overs.

The resultant 317-run margin of victory was the biggest ever recorded in ODIs.

India had made a solid start after opting to bat. Gill put on 95 runs with skipper Rohit Sharma - who made 42 - for the first wicket.

After Sharma departed in the 16th over, Gill and Kohli put on 131 runs for the second wicket.

Gill scored 116 off 97 balls, notching up his century off 89 balls, hitting 14 fours and two sixes.

The day belonged to Kohli though, who scored his second hundred of the series and third across his last four ODI innings.

Kohli got to 50 off 48 balls, with his century partnership with Gill coming off only 90 balls.

Later, he reached his ton off 85 balls. It was his 21st ODI hundred on Indian soil, the most by any batsman as he overtook Sachin Tendulkar's record of 20 centuries.

It was also Kohli's 10th ODI hundred against Sri Lanka, the most by any batsman against any team in this format.

Kohli stepped it up thereafter, scoring 50 off 21 balls, including six sixes. Overall, he hit 13 fours and eight sixes.

Kohli was named Player of the Match as well as Player of the Series.

"Ever since I came back from the long break, I have been feeling good. I don't have the desperation to get to a milestone. I am enjoying my batting and trying to help the team as much as possible. I want this (run of form) to continue," Kohli said, after the victory.

Shreyas Iyer scored 38 off 32 balls and added 108 off 71 balls with Kohli for the third wicket.

Compounding Sri Lanka's misery, two of their fielders were stretchered off after a collision at the deep midwicket boundary in the 43rd over.

Jeffrey Vandersay and Ashen Bandara both dived for the ball before colliding. They were both taken to a local hospital for scans.

Dunith Wellalage took Vandersay's place as a concussion substitute, while Dhananjaya de Silva replaced Bandara as a fielding substitute.

Sri Lankan batting folded meekly in reply to India's mammoth total as Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami bowled belligerent opening spells, sharing six wickets.

Siraj took four wickets for 32 runs, while Shami returned two for 20. The tourists reached just 39 for five after 10 over,s with just two top-order batsmen - Nuwanidu Fernando (19) and Dasun Shanaka (11) - reaching double figures in the one-sided encounter.