‘World Cup 2023 loading’- Twitter hopeful again as India’s all-round performance blows Sri Lanka away by 67 runs in 1st ODI

The Men in Blue locked horns with their neighbours and Asia Cup 2022 winners Sri Lanka in the first of 3 match ODI series on January 10^th. With the T20I series going India’s way, Dasun Shanaka-led side would have hoped to start the 50-over series with a win. India however were with the winning momentum and showcased the gulf in class between the two sides with a huge win.

The game got off with a Sri Lanka win at the toss. Captain Dasun Shanaka decided to chase a target and invited the Rohit Sharma-led side to put runs on the board.

With senior players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Shami coming back into the side, the Men in Blue seemed highly confident from the word get-go.

Shubman Gill and Rohit began the scoring pushing Rahul down the order to make way for young Gill. The two took charge of the batting and showcased great batting taking the scoreboard ahead with a good pace. Both right-hand batters looked in great touch and played a 143-run partnership in just 19.4 overs. After Gill got out at 70 off 60, star India batter Virat Kohli took to the field and continued his form from the last match.

Sharma gave way to Shreyas Iyer on 80 off 67 but Kohli continued to play at an unbothered manner. In just 87 deliveries the former captain made 113 runs and took India past 300 runs. The host team posted a target of 373/7 on the board at the end of 50 overs.

The run seemed too much given India’s lethal pace attack and in the end, it proved to be a target too big for the visiting team. Apart from opener Pathum Nissanka (72), Dhananjaya de Silva (47), and captain Dasun Shanaka (108*), none of Sri Lanka’s batters could provide significant contributions to the team’s score.

In the end Sri Lanka lost by 67 runs in the first ODI.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to India’s win over Sri Lanka in 1st ODI: