During the first ODI of the ongoing Sri Lanka’s tour of India in Guwahati, former India captain Virat Kohli scored a 45th ODI century to score two centuries in as many matches for the second time in his career. Kohli’s 38th ODI century at No. 3 is also his 36th in a bilateral series, 30th in Asia, 20th at home and ninth against Sri Lanka.
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Coming in to bat in the 20th over after Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanka (1/22) put an end to a 118-ball 143-run opening partnership between Rohit Sharma (83) and Shubman Gill (70), Kohli didn’t really need a lot of time to get his eye in or access the conditions per se.
A flat pitch at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium waiting for Kohli to dominate the proceedings wasn’t let down by the right-handed batter as he scored 113 (87) including 12 fours and a six before getting out in the penultimate over of the Indian innings.
Kohli, who pretty much bats effortlessly when in his groove, was in his groove on Tuesday. With no real challenge put in front of him from the Sri Lankan bowlers and having been dropped twice, a personal milestone was there for the taking for Kohli.
It was on the second delivery of the 47th over when Kohli drove a Kasun Rajitha delivery to long-off to reach the three-figure mark. Ecstatic and understandably so, Kohli jumped in the air to celebrate his 73rd international century.
Virat Kohli daughter birthday
Father to a daughter named Vamika, Kohli has scored a century a day before her second birthday. For the unversed, Kohli and wife and actor-producer Anushka Sharma had become parents for the first time on January 11, 2021.
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Kohli, who will be traveling to Kolkata for the second ODI on Thursday on Vamika’s second birthday, was leading India in the third Test match of the tour of South Africa on her first birthday last year.
