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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Trump says he called off dispatching envoys to Iran talks
Dubai (PTI): US President Donald Trump said he told his top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, stating on Fox News that "they can call us any time they want”.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports. Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade,” to allow a new round of negotiations, according to the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies in Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan on Saturday evening, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Araghchi is expected back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday.
Trump said Thursday that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House. The meeting was the second high-level negotiation between the two countries this month. The initial 10-day ceasefire had been due to expire Monday.
The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.
The move announced Friday is part of the administration's threat to impose secondary sanctions on entities doing business with Iran in an effort to cut off Iran's oil exports, which are a key source of its revenue.
Airlines worldwide have begun cancelling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up prices. Experts have offered information to travelers about what to do if a flight is cancelled.
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports, according to Iranian media.
Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade”, to allow a new round of negotiations, the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies reported.
The Pakistani premier described the call as a “warm and constructive discussion”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi concluded a one-day trip to Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Pakistani military and government officials.
The trip did not produce a breakthrough in efforts to relaunch negotiations after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his envoys to Islamabad.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will return to Pakistan after his current visit to Oman on his way to visiting Russia.
The report said he was expected to be back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday and would join other members of his delegation who had gone to Tehran for consultations and “instructions on the topics related to the end of the war.”
