Is there anything better than watching Virat Kohli at his best on the cricket field? After the former India captain’s most recent heroics, the fans at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati would shout a resounding “Yes.”
In the first ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday, Kohli scored his 45th ODI century in 80 balls. It was also his 73rd century in all three formats for the international team. He has one ton in T20Is and 27 Test tons.
Kohli quickly reached triple digits at the Assam venue, scoring ten fours and one six, in front of a packed crowd. In the end, Kohli left the game with 113 runs off 87 balls (12x4s, 1x6s) in the 49th over. Kohli scored the most runs as India reached 373/7 in 50 overs.
Virat Kohli now has 20 home ODI tons thanks to the ton. He has matched the record set by batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who also has the record for most home centuries by any batter with 20 in the format. Kohli also became the fastest player to score 12500 ODI runs in 257 innings on his way to his 73rd international tom.
Another record was broken by Kohli, who beat Tendulkar. Kohli now has nine centuries against Sri Lanka thanks to his 45th ODI century. It is the most tons an Indian batter has scored against the islanders. Additionally, Tendulkar and Kohli have racked up nine tons against West Indies and Australia, respectively.
Virat batted in the 20th over after openers Rohit Sharma (83) and Shubman Gill (70) gave India a great start. He confidently came down the track and hit his first boundary in the 22nd over against Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka with superb wristwork.
Even though he was granted two reprieves, Kohli was unstoppable from that point on. Kohli was bowled first by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis off Kasun Rajitha in the 37th over, following his half-century in 47 balls. He was spared once more in the 43rd over due to Rajitha’s bowling once more. This time, he was batting on 81 when Shanaka dropped him.
Instead of brute force, Kohli’s innings were most exquisite for their elegance. Even though Kohli batted at a strike rate of over 131, he rarely used the aerial route. He played on the ground while keeping the scoreboard moving quickly.