Shikhar Dhawan celebrates after bringing up his 11th ODI century
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
India opener Shikhar Dhawan continued his impressive run of form against Sri Lanka as he clubbed an unbeaten 132 to lead his side to a nine-wicket win in the first ODI in Dambulla.
Coming into this match, Dhawan had been named Man of the Series in the three-Test series after accumulating 358 runs, which included two centuries, at an average of 89.50.
Dhawan was well supported by India captain Virat Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 82.
Being put in to bat first, Sri Lanka got off to a solid start as openers Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka amassed a 74-run partnership before Gunathilaka was dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal for 35.
Dickwella and Kusal Mendis kept the runs flowing with a 65-run stand, during which Dickwella surpassed his fifty, before he was given out lbw off the bowling of Kedar Jadhav for 64, which came off 74 balls and included eight boundaries.
Niroshan Dickwella’s fifth ODI fifty went in vain
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Once Dickwella was out, Sri Lanka completely collapsed as Axar Patel ran through their middle and lower order with a three-wicket haul.
In the end, Sri Lanka ended up being bowled out for 216, meaning that they lost their last nine wickets for just 77 runs.
Patel was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Jadhav, Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with two wickets apiece.
Chasing 217 to win, India lost opener Rohit Sharma in the fifth over as he was run out by Chamara Kapugedara for four runs.
However, that was to be Sri Lanka’s last taste of success for the rest of the match as Dhawan and Kohli amassed an unbeaten 197-run stand, during which Dhawan brought up his hundred and Kohli his fifty.
Virat Kohli scored his 44th half-century in ODI cricket
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Dhawan needed just 71 balls to bring up his century, which made it the quickest of his career.
The partnership put together by Dhawan and Kohli is the highest second-wicket partnership for any team in an ODI in Sri Lanka. The previous record belonged to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir, who accumulated a 188-run stand in Colombo in February 2009.
Dhawan ended up finishing on 132 off 90 balls, which included 20 boundaries and three sixes, while Kohli remained undefeated on 82 off 70 deliveries, which included 10 boundaries and a six.
Sri Lanka captain Upul Tharanga was disappointed with his side’s performance, and said: “We started really well and after that we didn’t capitalise. The middle order collapsed. One stage, we were thinking of 300. If you want to score 300 in an ODI, someone has to get a big score. We have to learn from the mistakes. The main thing is someone has to get a big one. The bowling also has to become more consistent.”
Kohli was delighted to have taken a 1-0 lead in the series, and said: “They got off to a really good start. We thought we would chase close to 300, it was a good pitch to bat on. The point of batting second was that it would come on later in the day. It came on like a dream. The last three months have been a great tome for Dhawan and he’s cashing in on his purple patch. Hopefully he stays in this happy zone and we’ll make sure he stays there, because he will win you games as long as he’s in it. Once he starts going, it’s very difficult to stop him.
“Yes (we have our eyes set on 2019) . You have to prepare 24 months in advance. We’re going to experiment and embrace that. You can [expect to] see a lot of changes [from now on]. All the guys have bought into it. It’s all about what gives us more balance. Start of the series it’s about getting the batting right. Axar brings something with the bat and he’s a gun fielder. We felt one wrist-spinner was enough. In another match, we might bring in a pacer or play three spinners. It’s all about getting the balance.”
Dhawan was named Man of the Match, and said: “Things have been going well for me and I’ve just been focussing on my processes. I have mental freedom and when you perform well, you have extra confidence. By the grace of God, things are going my way. Just wanted to play positively and on the merit of the ball today.”