Team India certainly couldn’t have asked for a better finish to the ODI series after already having wrapped it up last Thursday.
In what was the icing on the cake for the Indians, they rode Shubman Gill’s 116 and Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 166 off just 110 balls to post a massive 390/5 after winning the toss in the third and final one-dayer at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
The Sri Lankans appeared a hapless outfit since the 131- run second-wicket partnership between Gill and Kohli. The scenario kept getting worse for them as they suffered one of their worst-ever defeats in the 50-over format as they were shot out for 73 in 22 overs.
To make matters worse, the Islanders also couldn’t avail of middle-order batter Ashen Bandara’s services. Bandara had to be stretchered off the ground after a massive collision with teammate Jeffrey Vandersay while trying to save a boundary during the 43rd over of India’s innings.
Spinner Vandersay was replaced by left-armer Dunith Wellalage, who came in as a concussion substitute.
After Gill, who scored his second ODI hundred, and Kohli made merry with the bat, it was Mohammed Siraj’s turn to have fun with the ball. The pacer took 4/32 off his 10 overs, registering his best bowling figures in ODI cricket.
Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets apiece. The Sri Lankan batting was in such shambles that spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar (coming in for pacer Umran Malik) wasn’t even required to bowl.
India did not just romp to a 3-0 series sweep, but their 317- run win also turned out to be the biggest margin of victory in terms of runs.
They will most likely come across a more competitive unit in the form of New Zealand from Wednesday, when the first of the three-match ODI series gets underway in Hyderabad.
For the Indians and more so for Kohli — adjudged both Man of the Match and Man of the Series after his 46th century in ODIs — this was indeed a fine way of warming up before taking on the Tom Lathamled New Zealand side, who go into the coming matches after an ODI series win in Pakistan and have a stronger bowling attack.
“It (the awards) is the by-product of the intent I have,” Kohli said at the postmatch presentation. “The mindset is to help the team and put the team in a strong position.
“I’ve played for the right reasons and that has helped. Ever since I came back from the break, I’m feeling good and I don’t have any desperation to get to a milestone. I want to continue doing so and am content.
“Today (Sunday), I was happy to be batting out there and being in that space, I end up playing good cricket. “I am in a nice space right now,” the former India captain added.