IND VS SL 1st ODI: Virat Kohli slams 73rd international 100, Equals Sachin Tendulkar’s record

Flamboyant India batter Virat Kohli carved out a sensational 113-run knock which helped the side to attain a total of 373 runs in their stipulated 50 overs in the first ODI. Led by Rohit Sharma, the Men in Blue have locked horns with neighbours Sri Lanka in the first of the three-match ODI series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. 

Kohli scored back-to-back centuries in ODI cricket when he brought up his  45th ODI ton against Sri Lanka in the first three-match ODI series on Tuesday. It was also his and 73rd hundred in international cricket.

Put to bat first by the Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka, the top-order operated in tandem to post the mammoth total in their first innings. Kohli, who marked his return to the side after being rested in the T20Is, took the series opener head-on and registered a century to his name in 80 balls. 

The swashbuckling right-hander initially began playing his innings delicately and then shifted gears as the innings progressed. It seemed as though the batter was on a mission to get those vital runs for the side after the dismissal of opener Shubman Gill.

Kohli equals Sachin Tendulkar’s staggering century record

The century drought now seems a distant memory. Moreover, Kohli also reached to a few personal milestones – two of which pertains to batting idol and India legend Sachin Tendulkar. The two India batting stalwarts now have 20 tons on home soil. However, while Sachin amassed the tally in 160 innings, Kohli managed it in 61 innings less.

This was also Kohli’s 9th century against Sri Lanka, a tally that he also owns against West Indies on ODI cricket, making him the only ever batter to have nine or more tons against two oppositions in the format. The only other batter to have achieved this feat is Sachin, against Australia.

Albeit still in the second spot behind Sachin in terms of most ODI and international tons, Kohli now stands four centuries short of levelling his idol’s tally in the 50-over format. Across formats, he still stands 27 centuries short of Sachin’s 100 ton.

Man of the Moment Virat Kohli unraveled the secret behind his fitness

In the post-innings interview, Virat Kohli cracked the truth behind his fitness, that too at the age of 34. Watch the video here:

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