On This Day in 2012: Virat Kohli leaves Sri Lanka gasping for breath with awe-inspiring century

Virat Kohli registered one of his finest centuries in international cricket against Sri Lanka on February 28, 2012, at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.

India faced Sri Lanka in a crucial tie in the Commonwealth Bank Series. MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl first on a flat deck. Mahela Jayawardene couldn’t convert his start into a substantial score. However, the second-wicket partnership between Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara yielded 200 runs. The latter was dismissed after scored an 87-ball 105. However, Dilshan carried his bat, finishing unbeaten on 160 off 165 balls. Sri Lanka posted a daunting score of 320/4 in their 50 overs.

India needed to chase the target in 40 overs to keep themselves afloat in the tri-series which also involved Australia. The Men in Blue batters, who had been struggling throughout the campaign, had an uphill task ahead of them.

Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar got India off to a flying start as they added 54 runs inside the first seven overs. However, both of them were dismissed in quick succession. Kohli and Gautam Gambhir steadied the ship by mixing caution with aggression.

Kohli played some exquisite strokes as the Sri Lankan bowlers had no idea how to stop the flow of runs. The ever-reliable Lasith Malinga was taken to the cleaners by Kohli. Gambhir also offered him good support. The duo added 115 runs off 109 balls. Gambhir was dismissed for a 64-ball 63, and it brought Suresh Raina to the crease.

Kohli and Raina took India home in 36.4 overs with an unbeaten partnership of 120 runs. The southpaw contributed only 40 out of those runs as Kohli batted like a man possessed. He nonchalantly flicked yorkers from Malinga for boundaries and charged at him to upset his rhythm. The Delhi batter finished unbeaten on 133 off 86 balls, hitting 16 fours and two sixes. India won the pulsating match by seven wickets to register a historic win.

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