Team India pacer Shardul Thakur made his ODI debut yesterday against Sri Lanka which the Men in Blue won by a mammoth margin of 168 runs to take a 4-0 lead in the five match series. Shardul waited for this break eagerly as despite being part of the Indian set up for a long time now, he was yet to get a game.
Ahead of the match, Ravi Shastri presented debutant Shardul Thakur with an India cap, and in the video shared by the BCCI TV, we can see someone kicking Shardul once he receives his cap and apparently that is none other than Virat Kohli. We all know what Kohli has to offer both on and off the field, and it was just the morale of the team which has been sky high in the last few months on the back of some sterling performances.
Meanwhile, Ravi Shastri before handing Shardul his maiden ODI cap also urged his boys to go for the kill in the remaining few matches left in the tour and by the end of the day Ravi Shastri was a satisfied man after India’s crushing victory by 168 runs. So in hindsight, Sri Lanka has failed to win a single match on this tour, and it seems pathetic for a country which was once a World Champion.
For the first time in the series, Kohli won the toss and opted to bat. India lost Shikhar Dhawan early, but Virat began taking on the Lankan bowlers from thee word go. He started with three boundaries of Vishwa Fernando through three different directions. It was an exhibition of strokeplay by the Modern Master who toyed with the Lankan bowlers and put them to the cleaners.
Rohit Sharma also played himself in and struck some magnificent shots en route to his 13th ODI century. While Kohli got dismissed for 131, Rohit made 104 which ensured India reached 375/5 at the end of the 50 overs.
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