SL v IND 1st ODI: India complete comprehensive 9-wicket win, lead series 1-0

Dambulla: Virat Kohli’s Team India completed yet another comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka in the first ODI here on Sunday. After losing Rohit Sharma early, It was an unbeaten partnership between opener Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli that set up the victory for the Men in Blue.

After winning the toss and putting Sri Lanka to bat, Virat Kohli’s men did a fantastic job to bowl out the Islanders for 216.

Sri Lanka had earlier got off to strong start, but after losing Niroshan Dickwella (64) in the 25^th over, wickets started to tumble for the hosts. Apart from Dickwella’s innings, Danushka Gunathilaka (35), Kusal Mendis (36) and Angelo Mathews’ innings were the only big scores.

156/1 from 22.2 overs

Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli are cruising here. Both of them look in a hurry to finish the game as India continue their dominance over Sri Lanka in this tour. While Dhawan got to his 11th ODI hundred, Kohli slammed his 44th fifty in this format.

India 86/1 from 13 overs

Shikhar Dhawan got to his 22nd ODI fifty as India inched closer to the 100-run mark. After the departure of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan took Team India forward, and ensured they do not give a breakthrough to the Lankan bowlers.

India 23/1 from 5 overs

WICKET! Rohit Sharma departs after scoring just four runs.Malinga was bowling to Rohit Sharma but Chamara Kapugedera did a good job in the field running the opener out.

Sri Lanka 216 all out from 43.2 overs

WICKET! Vishwa Fernando is clean bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. So, Sri Lanka have once again tumbled as finish innings at 216.

Sri Lanka 209-9 from 41.2 overs

WICKET! Lasith Malinga departs for eight runs as MS Dhoni does a fantastic job behind the stumps.

Sri Lanka 187/8 from 37.5 overs:

WICKET! Lakshan Sandakan departs. The freefall continues. Axar Patel has his third as he traps Sandakan before the wickets. Sri Lanka 8 down.

Sri Lanka 179/7 from 35.5 overs:

WICKET! Jasprit Bumrah joins the party. Disturbs the timber with a yorker to send Thisara Perera packing. Sri Lanka in a disarray. 7 down.

Sri Lanka 176/6 from 34.2 overs:

WICKET! This is inexplicable from Sri Lanka. From 74/0 to 176/6. Sri Lanka have made a mess of a solid start. Wanidu Hasaranga tries to target Axar Patel and fails as Kedar Jadhav completes a tumbling catch.

Sri Lanka 169/5 from 33.2 overs:

WICKET! Run-out! Sri Lanka continues to find ways to lose wickets. Chamara Kapugedera gets out, run-out. He takes off for a quick single but Kohli is alert. Runs in from the covers, dives and then hits the stumps accurately with a direct-hit. Sri Lanka 5 down.

Sri Lanka 166/4 from 32.2 overs:

WICKET! Kedar Jadhav is India's man with golden arm. Dismisses Upul Tharanga on a full toss. The Sri Lankan skipper tried to clear the field but gives an easy catch to Shikhar Dhawan in the deep. The Sri Lankan tumble continues.

Sri Lanka 152/3 from 28 overs:

WICKET! After settling well in the middle, Kusal Mendis departs following a risky sho5t. The left-hander charges down the middle and attempts to squeeze it towards leg side, but falls victim to a fullish and a quicker delivery from Axar Patel.

Sri Lanka 141/2 from 25 overs:

WICKET! Fresh from smacking a loose delivery for a boundary, Dickwella's gritty innings come to an end after getting trapped in front of the stumps on an attempted sweep. The umpire raises his finger but Dickwella reviews it, hoping the ball nicked the bat. Reviews show 3 reds and he has to depart.

Sri Lanka 122/1 from 22 overs:

Half-century for Dickwella! The Sri Lankan batsman brings up his 5th ODI fifty by nudging one towards leg. Dickwella was one of the few players that impressed in the dreary Test series and looks to have carried his form in the shorter format.

Sri Lanka 74/1 from 14 overs:

WICKET! Yuzvendra Chahal has broken through. The opening partnership between Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella comes to an end as the former's attempted reverse-sweep in the hands of KL Rahul at the covers.

Sri Lanka 43/0 from 8 overs:

Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella have not shied away from playing their shots and this approach is helping Sri Lanka. While the two have not really gone bonkers, they are doing a fine job to keep the Sri Lankan scorecard ticking.

"We are going to chase. It has been a while that we played on this track. The track does not have as much grass cover as it used to have. Should be a wicket to enjoy batting on. We love chasing," said Kohli at the toss as he explained his decision of bowling first.

"You have a bit of advantage winning the toss. But you have to execute your skills. I was sitting on the same chair I was sitting 9 years ago. Have some happy memories. The idea is to improve even after we have won games. As I said, you have to start well, be boring at times," added the Indian skipper.

India have picked Axar Patel ahead of Kuldeep Yadav as Yuzvendra Chahal will be the other spinner in the side. The Mumbai duo of Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur too are not a part of the playing XI.

It seems like the outcome of the toss was a win-win situation for both the sides as Tharanga said that his side was looking to bat first.

"We were going to bat first here. (It) Looks like a good wicket. In the last series as well, the team batting first scored some good runs," said Tharanga.

"I told boys to forget the Test series. People like Lasith coming is a positive," added the Sri Lankan skipper.

For Sri Lanka, Chamara Kapugedera, Thisara Perera and Vishwa Fernando are a part of the playing XI.

India, who outplayed Sri Lanka in three-match Test series, start as firm favourites as the limited-overs leg of the tour commences as Virat Kohli-led visitors take on Upul Tharanga’s unit.

While Sri Lanka are playing in the home conditions, their recent record at home is not too praiseworthy. The Islanders, who had been indomitable at home in the past, were beaten in the five-match ODI series by Zimbabwe. The defeat, on the back of a poor outing in the ICC Champions Trophy in England, has led to Angelo Mathews’ resignation as Sri Lanka skipper.

India too had their share of issues with Anil Kumble stepping down as the head coach of the team following differences with Kohli. However, the team has not allowed the off the field drama affect their on-field performances. The team had reached the Champions Trophy final, where they lost against arch-rivals Pakistan and followed that with an ODI series win against West Indies.

While the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant are not picked for ODIs and T20 against Sri Lakna, the presence of MS Dhoni and of comeback men Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Manish Pandey add solid firepower in the batting department.

In terms of bowling, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are frontrunners to take care of spin-bowling department whereas Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur, alongside, Hardik Pandya will shoulder the responsibility of pace-bowling attack.

Squads:

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga (captain), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella (wicketkeeper), Dhanushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Milinda Siriwardana, Malinda Pushpakumara, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Thisara Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando.

India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (vice captain), Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, Kedar Jadhav, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur.