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India defeated Sri Lanka by 317 runs to complete a 3-0 white-wash of the Lankan Lions. It was a ruthless display by the 'Men in Blue' on a day when nothing went right for their neighbors from the south.
India won the toss and elected to bat first at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Batting first, India posted a mammoth 390/5 at the end of their 50 overs, courtesy of centuries from Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli. The duo were ably supported by the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer as India out-batted their opponents.
In response, Sri Lanka showed no real fight as they were bundled out for a mere 73 runs. The Indian bowlers were simply unplayable as none of the Sri Lankan batters made any score of prominence. Such was the fury of the Indian bowlers that the Indian captain Rohit Sharma decided to adopt Test match fielding throughout the course of Lankan innings.
On that note, let's discuss the 5 takeaways from Sri Lanka's humiliating display against India.
#1 Virat Kohli scores Century No. 74
'King Kohli' lit up Thiruvananthapuram with a breathtaking 150 (166 off 110 balls) to propel India to a total close to 400. The Indian maestro brought up his 2nd century of the series and his 46th ODI century. While he had a couple of chances to get out on route to his century during the 1st ODI, Kohli gave no such chances today. Over the course of his 74th international ton, Kohli struck 13 boundaries and 8 maximums. The most fascinating aspect of his innings was his six-hitting ability towards the end of the innings.
#2 Shubman Gill makes a strong case for himself
Shubman Gill made up for missing out on a ton in the 1st ODI by converting his half-century into a three-figure score today. The youngster scored his 2nd ODI century in an innings in which he looked comfortable from the word go. The opener struck 14 boundaries and 2 maximums during the course of his marvelous knock. While the youngster will be tested more against New Zealand and Australia in the coming months, it seems that at least for now, he has confirmed his spot as an opener in the Indian batting line-up.
#3 Indian batters carry on rich vein of form
Even beyond Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill, the Indian batters have been in great form throughout the series. Even today, the duo were ably supported by the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer who kept the tempo high with their quick-fire cameos. With India's 'Top 5' - Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, K.L. Rahul, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer - firing on all cylinders, the Indian Team Management will be a rather satisfied bunch.
#4 Mohammed Siraj breathes fire
Mohammed Siraj has been in top rhythm since 2022 and has carried on his excellent performances into the new year. Throughout the course of this series, Siraj has impressed with his fiery spells with the new ball. Today, he broke the back of the Sri Lankan batting line-up in a quality display of swing bowling. Siraj picked up 4 wickets, giving away just 32 runs in the 10 overs that he bowlers. A man who could do no wrong also ran-out Chamika Karunaratne with a brilliant direct hit of his own bowling. Given his consistent performances over the past 6 months, Mohammed Siraj is almost certain to play an important role in India's World Cup campaign.
#5 Indian bowlers shine
On a day when the Men in Blue just needed to use 3 out of their 5 bowlers, it is almost needless to say how well the batting attack must have performed. Beyond Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami picked up 2 wickets apiece to humble their opponents inside 22 overs. Kuldeep Yadav has been particularly impressive in the last 2 ODIs and should play against New Zealand and Australia because of his ability to pick wickets in the middle overs. Yadav must be groomed for the 50-overs World Cup as he currently looks a notch above his counterpart Yuzvendra Chahal who is not looking in the best of bowling rhythms. His dismissal of Sri Lankan Captain Dasun Shanaka reminded everyone of his beautiful delivery to dismiss Babar Azam in the 2019 World Cup.
With that, we conclude our 5 Takeaways from India's dominating display against Sri Lanka as they take the series 3-0. What are your thoughts on India's performance today? Let us know them in the comments section below.
