3 ODI centuries for Virat Kohli against Sri Lanka in Colombo

Virat Kohli, the Indian batting superstar, has been synonymous with the ODI format, since making his international debut against Sri Lanka, at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on August 18, 2008. Over the last 15 years or so, the former captain of Team India has stamped his authority on the 50 overs format, with big scores year after year. Widely regarded as “The Chasemaster,” a moniker which Virat Kohli earned after securing victories in the run chase for India, day in and day out, especially in the limited overs cricket. The 34-year-old has been able to sustain a high level of performance as a batter in ODIs against all comers, both home and away, including Sri Lanka, against whom he will play the second match of the Super Four stage in the Asia Cup 2023 on September 12. In his 20 ODI matches against Sri Lanka in the island nation, Virat Kohli has scored 832 runs at an average of 53.87 and strike-rate of 87.86, with four hundreds and two fifties. But, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, his record improves drastically against them, with 519 runs in eight ODIs at an average of 103.80 and strike-rate of 94.70, with three consecutive centuries in the last three matches, along with one half-century. With that, SportsTiger looks back at these three ODI centuries for Virat Kohli against Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.1. Virat Kohli 128* off 119 vs Sri Lanka in Colombo (RPS) on July 31, 2012 During the limited overs international tour of Sri Lanka in 2012, India were in a spot of bother at 60-3, while chasing the target of 252 in the fourth ODI of the five-match series at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Virat Kohli, who was new to the crease at that time, stitched together a key partnership of 49 runs with Manoj Tiwary, while batting in a cautious manner, to bring India out of troubled waters. But when Suresh Raina joined him in the middle, he changed gears to put the pressure on the Sri Lanka bowlers, with swift running between the wickets, coupled with an occasional boundary. Eventually, Virat Kohli (128* off 119) and Suresh Raina (58* off 51) shared a 146-run stand in just 112 balls for the fifth wicket, to help India win the match with eight overs to spare, while securing the five match ODI series by 3-1 at the same time. #PAGE_BREAK#2. Virat Kohli 131 off 96 vs Sri Lanka in Colombo (RPS) on August 31, 2017 The fourth ODI of India's tour to Sri Lanka in 2017 belonged to the batting blitz of Rohit Sharma (104 off 88) and Virat Kohli (131 off 96) at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. These two superstars of Indian cricket were in their element with the bat in hand on that day, smashing the Sri Lanka bowlers to all corners during their 219-run stand in just 168 balls for the second wicket. MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav put the finishing touches to the Indian innings, to propel the score to 375/5 in their allotted 50 overs. The defence of the massive total was a relatively straightforward task for the Indian bowlers, who managed to deliver a complete performance to bowl out Sri Lanka for 207 in the 43rd over, to give a 4-0 lead in the five-match series to their team. #PAGE_BREAK#3. Virat Kohli 110* off 116 vs Sri Lanka in Colombo (RPS) on September 3, 2017 In the fifth and final ODI of India’s tour to Sri Lanka in 2017, the visitors bowled out the hosts for 238 runs before their allotted 50 overs were up, thanks to a five-wicket haul from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. While Team India lost the wicket of their openers early in the run chase, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane, their biggest batting superstar, Virat Kohli was in the middle with a mission to secure the 5-0 ODI series win for the Indians at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. First, he paired up with Manish Pandey (36 off 53) to stitch together a crucial 99 run stand to put India in the driving seat. Then, Virat Kohli (110* off 116) was involved in a 109-run partnership with Kedar Jadhav (63 off 73), to lead India to a six-wicket victory, while inflicting a clean sweep on Sri Lanka in the ODI series.

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3 ODI centuries for Virat Kohli against Sri Lanka in Colombo - A Lookback