On This Day in 2023: Kohli, Siraj Sparkle as India Demolishes Sri Lanka by a Record 317 Runs

The Indian cricket team came up with sensational all-round performances to register a historic victory over Sri Lanka on January 15 last year. Team India earned an emphatic 317-run win to set the biggest margin of victory in the history of ODI cricket. India surpassed New Zealand’s previous record of 290 runs against Ireland back then to achieve the milestone.

India achieved this feat during the third ODI played at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Before this, India’s biggest ODI victory, in terms of margin of runs, was the 257-run win against Bermuda at the 2007 World Cup in Port of Spain.

Coming back to the match against Sri Lanka, winning the toss, India skipper Rohit Sharma decided to bat first and the move did pay off. India got off to a flying start with opening batters Rohit and Shubman Gill stitching a 95-run partnership. Rohit was the first to depart having scored 42.

Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli led India’s batting charge with a solid partnership of 131. While Gill was dismissed for 116 off 97 balls, Kohli produced a remarkable unbeaten knock of 166 off 110 deliveries. Shreyas Iyer also contributed significantly by scoring 38 from 32 balls.

For Sri Lanka, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara picked up two wickets each. India ended their innings with a solid total of 390 runs on the board.

Sri Lanka, during the run chase, never seemed quite comfortable and lost their first wicket in the second over of the innings. India’s pace duo of Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj ran through the Sri Lanka batting unit to earn an advantage for the hosts.

Siraj ended up with spectacular figures of 4/32 in his 10 overs. Shami also did an impressive job having scalped two wickets in the match.

For Sri Lanka, their opening batter Nuwanidu Fernando became his side’s highest scorer of the fixture having scored 19. Apart from Fernando, only two Sri Lanka players—skipper Dasun Shanaka and Kasun Rajitha—managed to breach the two-digit mark against India in the third ODI. The visitors folded for a paltry total of 73. This currently remains Sri Lanka’s sixth-lowest total in the history of ODIs.

Virat Kohli was named player of the match for his stupendous unbeaten knock of 166. The magnificent victory also helped India whitewash Sri Lanka 3-0 in the ODI series.