INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: On Sunday, India rewrote ODI record books by registering the highest ever victory margin when the hosts thrashed Sri Lanka by 317
runs in the third one-day international in Thiruvananthapuram
Batting maestro Virat Kohli scored 166 not out, and along with Shubman Gill, who scored 116, powered India to a mammoth 390 for 5
And pacer Mohammed Siraj returned an excellent figures of 4 for 32 to bowl out the visitors for a paltry 73 in 22 overs
Amid all the records, skipper Rohit Sharma registered an unwanted record of his own
Rohit, who looked in a good touch, scored 42 off 49 balls and added a fine 95 runs for the opening wicket with Gill, but the captain has now
failed to convert a good start into a triple-figure score for 50 consecutive international innings.Former India opening batter Gautam
Gambhir, who is one of the panellists of the official broadcaster Star Sports, said that Rohit should be put in the same space where Kohli
was until a few months ago."I think we should talk to him in the same space like we used to when Virat didn't get a 100 in the last three
So we should be equally hard on Rohit Sharma because 50 innings in international cricket is quite a lot," Gambhir said on Start
Sports.1/20Milestone man Virat Kohli leads India to record ODI win against Sri LankaPreviousNextShow CaptionsVirat Kohli is looking hungrier
for big runs and has started producing those with consummate ease and effortless strokeplay
On Sunday, Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar's record of 20 ODI centuries on home soil and his unbeaten 166 was the 46th of his career in this
format.During the course of his innings, Kohli also went past Mahela Jayawardene to rise to fifth in ODI's all-time run-scorers chart
But much more than those numbers, it is the manner in which Kohli is scoring the runs that will be giving the rival bowlers sleepless nights
Kohli started showing signs of returning to form in the Asia Cup last year
Kohli's match-winning unbeaten 82 against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup was a classic and he translated the T20 form that he showed in the
latter half of last year into ODIs
The longer format also gives Kohli time and space to pace his innings
After going century-less for more than three years, Kohli has now three tons in his last four innings
On Sunday, Kohli looked in ominous touch the moment he arrived at the crease
Kohli started with a cracking drive through the mid-off region off just the second ball he faced
From then on there was no looking back
Kohli cut, drove, and pulled the hapless bowlers in all directions
At 34, Kohli is still the fittest member of this Indian team and that is helping him pinch singles and twos to supplement his brilliant
However, the biggest takeaway from Kohli's innings was how he accelerated to perfection
Kohli's first 50 came off 48 balls and was laced with five fours
Kohli increased his pace and reached the three-figure mark off 85 balls and it contained eight fours and a six
Kohli pushed the pedal on the accelerator once he crossed 100 and by the time he walked back at the end of his innings, he had eight sixes
and 13 fours in his 110-ball knock
Kohli has amassed 12,754 runs in 268 ODIs for India, behind Sachin Tendulkar (18,426), Kumar Sangakkara (14,234), Ricky Ponting (13,704) and
Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430).Kohli took the score close to 400 as India smashed 116 runs in the last 10 overs with contributing 84 of
those.Kohli felt that it is his mindset that is helping him get those big knocks again
Rohit last scored a century in September 2021, against England in a Test match at the Oval.On the other hand, Kohli, who ended his long
century drought last year after smashing his maiden T20I ton against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, has now scored three centuries in his last
"It's not that you didn't get a 100 in one or two series
That is one thing that is missing in Rohit's game from the last World Cup
He used to get those big 100s, this time he's looking in good form, he's hitting the ball well but he has to convert
It is one thing that has stood out for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and Virat has got it back, Rohit Sharma needs to get it back at least
before the World Cup because these two guys will be extremely important if India has to go all the way and win the World Cup," Gambhir
added.Rohit started the new year on a strong note, smashing 67-ball 83 in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, which India won by 67 runs
He looked in good touch in the third ODI too, but failed to convert another good start
Rohit was the top scorer in the last ODI World Cup in 2019, scoring 648 runs from nine matches which included five centuries
And India will need similar form from their skipper in the home World Cup later in the year.
