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India and Sri Lanka locked horns in the first ODI of the three-match series on Tuesday at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Sri Lanka captain, Dasun Shanaka, won the toss and decided to bowl first. But his decision backfired big time, with India piling up runs in the middle. While Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill got the Men in Blue off to a flyer, scoring 75 runs in the first ten overs, Virat Kohli continued the onslaught in the middle overs.
Also read: Virat Kohli's centuries in the international cricket
The former India captain made good use of the fast outfield and the flat pitch as he notched up a half-century in 47 balls. The batter hit a six against Wanindu Hasaranga to bring up his 65th half-century in One-day cricket. However, Kohli did not stop there as he continued to thrash the Sri Lankan bowlers. Although he got two lives, with Kusal Mendis and Dasun Shanaka dropping dollies, Kohli looked in great touch.
Eventually, the 34-year-old got to the milestone. Kohli scored a century off 80 balls to bring up his 73rd in international cricket. The batter was animated as ever after reaching the three-figure mark.
Watch as Kohli celebrates his 73rd century in style:
Although Kohli could only add 13 more runs, he did enough to propel India to a pretty good total. The batter looked pretty happy at his knock as he spoke after the first innings. Kohli said that having a break before the series helped him bat flawless.
"I have had bit of a break, and a couple of practice sessions coming into this game, so I was fresh after that Bangladesh tour. I was excited for the home season to start. The openers allowed me to get into the game and I tried to keep my strike rate in check. I was happy I was able to maintain the tempo and we finished with 370," said Kohli.
