India skipper Kohli (131) and Rohit (104) not only help thrash Lanka by 168 runs in fourth ODI, but also put islanders' 2019 World Cup qualification in jeopardy
India's Virat Kohli (right) celebrates his century with Rohit Sharma during the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday. India won by 168 runs. Pic/PTI
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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma produced sublime centuries as India dented Sri Lanka's chances of a direct World Cup qualification with a thumping 168-run victory in the fourth ODI here yesterday.
Kohli (131 runs off 96 balls) and Rohit (104 off 88) made merry on a batting beauty to guide India to 375 for five, the highest total posted by a visiting team in an ODI in Sri Lanka. The final flourish was provided by comeback man Manish Pandey (50 not out off 42) and MS Dhoni (49 not out off 42), who achieved a memorable milestone of 300 ODIs.
Sri Lanka never looked like getting close to India's imposing total and could only manage 207 all out in 42.4 overs with Angelo Mathews' 70-run knock being the sole noteworthy batting performance. The heavy defeat was also Sri Lanka's biggest at home in terms of runs. India now lead the five-match series 4-0 and look set to complete another whitewash after blanking Sri Lanka in the preceding three Tests.
Things are going from bad to worse for Sri Lanka, who needed to win at least two matches in the ongoing series to seal automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup.
India, opting to bat for the first time in the series, virtually batted the opposition out of the game. Courtesy skipper Kohli's 29th ODI hundred and his 219-run second-wicket stand with an in-form Rohit, India were able to lay the foundation for a massive total. Rohit, who hit back-to-back hundreds, now has 13 three-figure scores in the 50-over format. It was also India's third-highest second wicket partnership against Sri Lanka in ODIs, after 318 at Taunton in May 1999, and 236 at Nagpur in March 1999 — both set by Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. This was also their third 200-plus stand as a pair equalling the record held jointly by Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly, as well as Gautam Gambhir and Kohli.
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