India v Sri Lanka fifth ODI: Virat Kohli hits unbeaten century as hosts complete whitewash
Sunday 16 November 2014 19:03, UK
Rival captains Virat Kohli and Angelo Mathews both scored 139 not out, but it was India who emerged winners over Sri Lanka by three wickets in Ranchi to whitewash the one-day international series 5-0.
Sri Lanka made 286-8 batting first with Mathews smashing 10 sixes and six fours in his power-packed 116-ball knock - his maiden ODI century.
In reply, India were left struggling when Ajantha Mendis (4-73) reduced the hosts to 231-7, but Kohli stayed firm throughout the innings to see his side home with eight balls to spare.
Sri Lanka's batting had survived 50 overs just once this series before this match, but Tillakaratne Dilshan cared little, milking Dhawal Kulkarni for three boundaries in the first over of the day.
It was a false dawn, though, as debutant Niroshan Dickwella went cheaply to Kulkarni while Dilshan (35) hit two fours off Stuart Binny in the sixth over but was bowled two balls later.
Dinesh Chandimal (five) and Mahela Jayawardene (32) fell in quick succession to Akshar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin respectively, before Thirimanne and Mathews hit back.
Sri Lanka laboured to 100 in 24 overs, and it took a further 13 overs for the next 50.
Mathews brought up his fifty in the 40th over with Sri Lanka's first six, with Thirimanne happy to survive three lbw appeals in his 52.
The duo's second-straight century stand was broken when Thirimanne was caught slogging off Ashwin, soon followed by Patel's dismissal of Thisara Perera.
But Mathews added nine more sixes to his tally in a superb finish for the Lankans, even though Kulkarni grabbed two late wickets.
Poor start
Mathews then turned wicket-taker as India suffered a poor start to their chase, the visiting skipper bowling Ajinkya Rahane (two) and Thursday's double-centurion Rohit Sharma (nine) in successive overs.
However, from 14-2, Kohli and Ambati Rayudu (59) launched a superb fightback to turn the tables back in India's favour with a 136-run partnership.
Kohli had little trouble getting to his third successive fifty and neither did Rayudu seven overs later, but a horrible mix-up had the latter run-out with India on 150.
Kohli also passed 1,000 runs for 2014, joined earlier in that club by Mathews, who took a brilliant diving catch to dismiss Robin Uthappa (19) as India were reduced to 180-4.
The hosts still looked favourites at that stage, but Mendis then produced a brilliant spell to bowl debutant Kedar Jadhav (20), before getting rid of Binny and Ashwin in successive deliveries in the 44th over.
With India suddenly wobbling, needing 47 runs off the final five overs with only three wickets left, the pressure was on Kohli, who duly responded with boundary shots helped along by Patel's cameo of 17 in a 57-run stand.
It gave the initiative back to India and Kohli fittingly helped finish things off with two sixes off Mendis in the 49th over. Kohli also struck one other maximum and 12 fours off 126 balls as he recorded his 21st ODI hundred - leaving him joint fifth in the all-time list and top among those still active.
