JOIN USRohit, Kohli run rings around Sri Lanka
Chasing 243, India made a slow start and lost both openers inside 10 overs before one-down batsman Virat Kohli (82) and Rohit (101 not out) resurrected the innings to help India romp home with 6.3 overs to spare at the Queens Sports Club.
Earlier, the tidy Indian howlers produced a disciplined effort to bundle out Sri Lanka for 242 after captain Suresh Raina had opted to field.
Sunday’s win also marked Raina’s first victory as captain.
Coming together in the 10th over, Kohli and Rohit added 154 runs from 168 balls for the third wicket to take the game away from Sri Lanka.
Rohit, who hit 114 against Zimbabwe in India’s opening match though for a lost cause, hit six fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 100-ball knock, his second ODI century in his 44th match. He got good support from Kohli whose 82 came off 92 balls with the help of four boundaries.
After opening bowler Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis achieved early success by removing Murali Vijay (14) and Dinesh Karthik (18), the Sri Lankan bowlers were left high and dry with Kohli and Rohit stamping authority. The duo initially dealt mostly in singles with occasional boundaries before opening up later on. They also did not allow the asking rate to jump over five.
Rohit took 60 balls to reach his fifty which came of a single off Ajantha Mendis in the 28th over and Kohli reached his seventh half-century an over later with a single off Dilhara Fernando.
Kohli, however, perished in the 38th over when he came down the track to play a lofted shot off a Suraj Randiv delivery only to hole out to long-on fielder Dilhara Fernando.
When Kohli fell, India needed just 42 runs from more than 12 overs and Rohit ensured that they wrapped up the match without any hiccup.
Rohit took a four off Mendis in the 43rd over to reach his second successive ODI century while Raina hit the winning runs in the next over.
India, who lost their opening match against Zimbabwe on Friday, play the hosts again in their next match on Thursday at Harare Sports Club.
Earlier, except for Angelo Mathews (75) and captain Tillakaratne Dilshan (61), the Lankan batsmen struggled under tight Indian bowling after they were put into bat.
Except for rookie Umesh Yadav, all the bowlers bowled tight spells with Ashok Dinda (2/44), Pragyan Ojha (2/44) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/49) taking two wickets apiece.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra was also economical, conceding 40 runs from his 10 overs .
The Lankans were dealt an early blow when Upul Tharanga (1) became the first to get run out.
Thilan Samaraweera (19) didn’t last long either and was stumped while trying to charge Ojha. Dilshan and Mathews then put on 58 for the third wicket before the skipper became the second Lankan batsmen to be run out. Dilshan’s 81-ball knock contained four boundaries and a six.
But Mathews held one end together with a gritty knock that included a couple of sixes and an equal number of fours. His prized wicket ultimately went to Yadav.
Thissara Perera’s late 32-run cameo down the order did, however, help the Lankan to go past the 200 mark.
SCORE BOARD
SRI LANKA
Tharanga (run out) 1
Dilshan (run out) 61
Samaraweera st Kaarthick b Ojha 19
Mathews b Yadav 75
Kapugedera c Vijay b Jadeja 20
Silva lbw Jadeja 5
Perera c Raina b Ojha 32
Kulasekara b Dinda 19
Randiv (run out) 1
Fernando (not out) 0
Mendis b Dinda 2
Extras (B-1, LB-3, W-3) 7
Total (all out, 49.5 overs) 242
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-39, 3-97, 4-150, 5-156, 6-204, 7-226, 8-239, 9-240.
Bowling: Yadav 10-1-61-1, Dinda 9.5-0-44-2, Ojha 10-0-44-2, Mishra 10-0-40-0, Jadeja 10-1-49-2.
INDIA
Kaarthick c (sub) b Mendis 18
Vijay lbw Kulasekara 14
Kohli c Fernando b Randiv 82
Rohit (not out) 101
Raina (not out) 24
Extras (LB-1, W-3) 4
Total (for 3 wkts, 43.3 overs) 243
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-47, 3-201.
Bowling: Kulasekara 9-1-34-1, Fernando 8.3-0-58-0, Mendis 10-0-64-1, Randiv 9-0-51-1, Perera 7-0-35-0.