Virat Kohli ton powers India to 373/7 against Sri Lanka in 1st ODI
Guwahati, Jan 10: Making full use of two dropped chances, Virat Kohli smashed his 45th ODI hundred that propelled India to an imposing 373 for seven against Sri Lanka in the series-opener here on Tuesday.
Kohli, who scored 113 against Bangladesh in Chattogram in India's last ODI, continued from where he left to play the sheet anchor role with his 87-ball 113.
The class of Kohli was on full display as he smashed 12 fours and one six and held on to one end while wickets fell at regular intervals in the middle overs.
At a venue where he had scored a century (140 vs West Indies) in the only ODI held here four years back, the former India skipper had luck by his side.
He was dropped twice -- on 52 and 81 -- en route to his 45th ODI century, four shy of maestro Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of 49 centuries in the 50-over format.
Overall, Kohli has now 73rd International centuries. To go with his 45 ODI hundreds, he has 27 in Test format and one in T20I.
Skipper Rohit Sharma responded to the criticism of benching the in-form duo of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav by giving India a solid start in company of Shubman Gill.
The Indian skipper had preferred Gill over Ishan who had to sit out despite a record-breaking 210 in India's last one-dayer.
Rohit slammed a 67-ball 83 (9x4, 3x6) in a knock of sheer domination.
On a flat deck, Rohit was at ease to step out to the Lankan pacers, pulling them with nonchalance en route to a 41-ball fifty.
Gill was also at his fluent best and complemented his skipper keeping his flair and elegance intact.
Continuing his dream run in ODIs, Gill brought up his fifth half-century that came off 51 balls.
It was a one-way traffic for the Indian opening duo before Dasun Shanaka dismissed Gill. The youngster was guilty of playing across the line and wad trapped in front of the wicket.
Looking to bring an end to his century drought, Rohit too perished in addition of 30 runs to the total. He was cleaned up by debutant Dilshan Madushanka.
Run-rate slowed down and it was a welcome respite for Sri Lanka who till then were staring at a 400-plus target.
The home team slowly gained the lost momentum with Kohli and Shreyas Iyer (28) taking charge of the middle-overs.
Having got the nod ahead of Suryakumar Yadav, Iyer looked fluent and hit Wanindu Hasaranga for a six. But he failed to convert his start.
Underfire KL Rahul (39) also could not make it big and was bowled around the legs after being deceived by a slower one from Kasun Rajitha.
India: 373/7 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 113, Rohit Sharma 83, Shubman Gill 60).
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Kalaburagi: 22-yr-old driver killed on spot as pickup vehicle crashes into bridge on NH in Afzalpur
Kalaburagi: The driver of a pickup truck transporting fish was killed on the spot as the vehicle rammed into a bridge on the National Highway bypass in Balurgi village of Afzalpur taluk early Friday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Anil Dasharatha Bhovi (22), a native of Bandarwada village in Afzalpur taluk. He was reportedly driving from Jewargi to Solapur, when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a bridge on the bypass in Balurgi. Anil Said to have died on the spot due to the intensity of the crash.
Afzalpur Police have said that the body of the driver has been sent to the Afzalpur Government Hospital and will be handed over to the family after completion of the postmortem examination.
A case has been registered in this regard at the Afzalpur Police Station and investigation is underway.
