5 times Virat Kohli destroyed Sri Lanka in ODIs

Virat Kohli seems to have a special liking for his neighbouring island country. A record-breaking 29th ODI century, his seventh against the Lankans, was in stark contrast to his debut against the same opposition nine ago, reaffirming his reputation as the modern game's best batsman.

Since that day in 2008, Kohli has evolved into a complete batsman, scoring runs across the world. Here are some of his best knocks against the Lankans in ODIs:

107 off 114 balls, Kolkata (2009)

After Sri Lanka had compiled the highest score at the Eden Gardens (315), the Indian batsmen knew a quick start was needed. Virender Sehwag started in typical fashion with a flurry of boundaries, but was undone by a Suranga Lakmal delivery that got extra lift off the pitch.

Gautam Gambhir entered the scene, but was left in the dark when Sachin Tendulkar perished looking for quick runs. In came Kohli, and the Delhi boys took no time to get down to business.

Lakmal was breathing fire, testing Kohli with some extra pace and bounce.

Kohli’s first scoring shot came with a trademark whip that flew to the mid-wicket boundary, a shot he has perfected now. Lakmal continued his barrage of bouncers, but Kohli was unmoved. Thisara Perera followed suit, but this time, Kohli rose up to the challenge, pulling the ball with a horizontal bat down to widish long on to get going.

He tore Malinga apart in the ninth over with four consecutive boundaries, hitting shots on all sides of the park. The partnership reached its first fifty in just 34 balls.

In his second spell, Malinga lost his bearings completely, hurling short of a length deliveries outside the off stump that were slashed away by a red-hot Kohli. On 88, he was got a reprieve when Sangakkara dropped a sharp chance behind the stumps.

Nevertheless, a star was born and was here to stay.

133* off 86 balls, Hobart (2012)

Listed down in Indian cricketing folklore as one of the greatest ODI chases ever, Kohli evolved from boy to man in this jaw-dropping shot-making spree against the Lankans. The authority with which he dismantled each and every bowler at Hobart made for a - -

India needed to chase down 321 runs within 40 overs to stay in contention for the series, they managed to achieve that within 37.

Malinga was greeted with a pin-point yorker as his first delivery, and effortlessly flicked it away to midwicket to make his intentions clear. He was picking up the lengths early, highlighted best by the inside out shot he managed to conjure off a Thisara Perera delivery.

The big grounds in Australia made sure that Kohli ran hard and collected those extra runs to keep the run-rate under check.

And then came Malinga.

Just like the first delivery, Kohli whipped the slinger away to reach his three figures, beaming a broad smile as he celebrated a magnificent knock. The next delivery was also a yorker, but this time, Kohli sent it deep into the stands with an astonishing flick shot, following it with a cover drive so authoritative that it would have single-handedly crushed Malinga’s spirit. Three more flicks to the square leg boundary finished off the chase then and there.

128* off 119 balls, Colombo (2012)

The Malinga-Kohli duel, a battle dominated by the latter over the years, continued from Australia to Sri Lanka.

Welcomed by a short delivery from Malinga, Kohli had no trouble in unleashing a thunderous pull shot to gain the upper hand.

With wickets falling at the other end, the team couldn't get going in the first 20 overs, but Kohli stayed put, knowing fully well that he could attack later.

Against Herath and Mendis, Kohli used his front and back feet in equal measure, driving the ball through the covers to relieve the mounting pressure.

Jayawardene introduced a second spell of pacers, but Kohli didn't let his guard down, hitting the ball consistently over the infield. Deservedly, he pulled Malinga away to get to the three-figure mark, and continued in the same vein to make sure that the chase was completed comfortably.

139* vs 126 balls, Ranchi (2014)

With Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma falling cheaply, and India reeling at 18-2, Kohli knew he would have to play his natural game to steer India towards their 100th win against Sri Lanka in ODIs.

A brilliant whip to the midwicket boundary set the ball rolling, as Kohli looked at ease on both sides of the wicket.

The cover drives were flowing, the flicks were coming off effortlessly, and Mathews had no option but to introduce spin.

However, Ajantha Mendis wasn’t the ‘mystery’ he was for the other batsmen, and Kohli had no issues in brushing him aside. With half-centurion Ambati Rayudu for company, Kohli stitched a crucial 136-run partnership to seal the game.

Even Seekkuge Prasanna’s leggies couldn’t make an impact, as Kohli devoured a toothless Lankan attack on his way to his 21st ODI century.

Rayudu got out to a terrible misunderstanding, but a mature Kohli made sure that he stayed till the end, smacking Mendis for back to back sixes to finish off the game.

131 off 96, Colombo (2017)

Shedding his usual watchful approach in the initial overs, a dominating Kohli, having sealed the series with wins in the first three games, started off on a positive note, looking to undo the damage done by the early departure of Shikhar Dhawan.

A delightful cover drive off Fernando signalled that he was in top form, as Kohli creamed the left-arm pacer for two more successive boundaries to set the tone for the knock.

Not taking too many risks but scoring at a brisk pace, Kohli scored 30 off the first 39 runs for India in the first six overs. His fifty came up in just 38 balls.

By the time the spinners came in, Kohli had set his eyes in and went for the kill. The duo of Hasaranga and Pushpakumara was treated with the disdain of net bowlers, as Kohli approached a record breaking ton.

It came in the 25th over itself, the fastest he had taken to achieve the three-figure mark in terms of overs. In the process, he also became the youngest to compile 2000 runs against a single team.

After his century, he fed on the poor bowling of the Lankans, and looked all set to break a few more, but ended up slicing a wide Malinga delivery down the throat to become the Sri Lankan veteran's 300th victim.