Virat Kohli along with Manish Pandey forged a 119 run second wicket partnership.
With a seven-wicket win in the standalone T20I, Indian cricket team completed a series whitewash over Sri Lanka in Colombo. After winning 3-0 in Tests, 5-0 in ODIs, Virat Kohli-led side chased down a target of 171 to conclude their tour of Sri Lanka winning 9-0. The Indian skipper, who has been in sublime form in all three formats, once again displayed another instance of ruthless efficiency in a chase. Kohli along with Manish Pandey forged a 119 run second wicket partnership after the visitors lost KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma early in their chase.
Sri Lanka triggered in the first innings with quick fire 29-ball 53 from Dilshan Manweer and Ashan Priyanjan’s unbeaten 40, India romp home with four balls to spare with Kohli blasting a 54-ball 82 and Manish Pandey scoring a 51 not out. The 28-year old Kohli has established a formidable batting reputation while chasing and he once again came up with a masterclass when he smashed the Sri Lankan bowlers all-over the ground. His knock included seven boundaries and a six, to anchor India’s chase.
While the visitors had an easy outing with the bat, spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav shared five wickets between them to restrict Sri Lanka to just under the 175-mark.
Wonderful support performance by @im_manishpandey. Realised it was Kohli’s chase and kept finding himself at the non-striker’s end.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 6 September 2017
Kohli’s hunger & consistency is just astonishing.Even against a weak SL side,this has been one of d most dominating away series ever#INDvSL
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) 6 September 2017
Well played @imVkohli & @im_manishpandey. @BCCI Brilliant way to wrap Series 👌#IndvsSL #TeamIndia #9-0
— Murali Vijay (@mvj888) 6 September 2017
Delighted to see Manish Pandey seize his opportunities. Has this wonderful ability to finish games
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 6 September 2017
With his 17th fifty in his 50th T20I, Kohli also became the third highest run scorer in the shortest format. With 2140 runs, former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum tops the list while Sri Lanka’s Dilshan is second with 1889 runs.
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