On This Day: 3 September, Virat Kohli’s side completed a rare and ruthless 5-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka in their own backyard. At the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, India won the fifth and final ODI by six wickets. Sri Lanka scored 238 in the first innings. India chased it down with 21 balls to spare. The result was more than just another win as it was the first time Sri Lanka had been whitewashed at home in a bilateral ODI series and only the second time India had achieved a 5-0 away sweep (the previous one coming in Zimbabwe in 2013).
Bhuvneshwar Kumar set the tone. He picked up his first five-wicket haul in ODIs (5/42) and picked up the wickets of Sri Lankan top order cheaply and later returned to finish the job. Jasprit Bumrah supported him well and finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with 15 wickets. Lahiru Thirimanne (67) and Angelo Mathews (55) tried to recover the innings for the hosts with a century partnership, but once that stand was broken the lower order folded.
Also Read | 3 Longest Matches in US Open History
The Indian chase was all about Kohli. After early wickets left them in trouble, the captain walked in and played with the calm authority that defined his peak years. He finished unbeaten on 110 and smashed his 30th ODI century while also crossing 1,000 runs for the calendar year during this knock. Kedar Jadhav scored a useful 63. MS Dhoni was there at the end for the finishing touches and the series was done.
It felt like the dominant end to a one-sided tour. India had controlled almost every aspect across the five matches. The bowling attack was sharp, the batting depth was solid, and the fielding stayed sharp. It was a tough series for Sri Lanka as they could not compete in any of the games while Indian supporters will remember this series for a long time for the dominance they showed.
