Virat Kohli hunted down Sri Lanka's 286, to complete India's absolute domination in this series, while checking off the only conspicuous individual milestone that had been missing from the tour thus far - a Kohli hundred.
He arrived with India in slight trouble, watched on aghast as his middle order deserted him in a crucial period, but picked apart the Sri Lanka death bowlers expertly, to see India home in the penultimate over. As the target neared Kohli even struck a helicopter-shot of sorts, to put the ball in the stands behind long-on, and sealed the match with a six at an individual score of 139 off 126 in the applause from a delighted Ranchi crowd.
All this despite an expertly paced 139 from a desperate Angelo Mathews earlier in the match, and a four-wicket haul for Ajantha Mendis, on the first track of the series that offered significant turn. Having been the first Sri Lanka captain to lead his side to a Test series victory in England this year, Mathews now has the ignominy of presiding over Sri Lanka's worst-ever one-day whitewash. Though, having taken two wickets and a fine catch in addition to his ton, Mathews might fairly feel his team could have supported him better.
Every other centurion in the series had sought to ground himself with a quiet period early in his innings, but in chases, Kohli is immune to the laws that bind other batsmen. He arrived at 14 for 2, and creamed a square boundary off his fourth ball. Amabati Rayudu began with more jitters, but was soon fluent alongside his captain, as the pair forged a 136-run stand that became the gut of the chase. Rayudu found most of his runs in the arc between cover and midwicket, but Kohli milked the spinners square adeptly. Having travelled at 3.4 runs per over in the mandatory Powerplay, India were ticking along at over five by the 20th. Kohli drove through the covers for four to reach his half-century in 48 balls, eight overs before Rayudu managed the same milestone. The pair would be separated by a running mix up. But as long as Kohli stood at the crease, India's hopes never dwindled, even with wickets tumbling at the other end.
Sri Lanka's best hope of locking down the chase came soon after Rayudu's dismissal, when they, and the other India batsmen, managed to starve Kohli of the strike. During that 10-over stretch, Kohli also took the single that took him to his 14th ton in ODI chases. India required 47 off the last five overs, but with a capable Akshar Patel in at No. 9, Kohli broke the back of the required rate with a six and a four off Mendis, then struck two more sixes off the same bowler to knock off the final runs.
Rohit Sharma made history: Rohit Sharma made a world record of 264 runs at the Eden Gardens in the 4th ODI. The Mumbai batsman announced his return to international cricket -after being out with an injury since August -with an innings of pure class. Rohit, who also became the first man in the history of the game to score two double centuries in ODI cricket, helped India thrash Sri Lanka by 153 runs. Turbo-charged by Rohit's 173-ball 264 and Virat Kohli's polished 64-ball 66, India amassed 404 in their 50 overs after the latter won the toss and elected to bat. It was India's fifth 400-plus total in this format of the game and it left Sri Lanka with a near impossible chase. Rohit, however, did not make a fluent start. He looked a bit rusty in the initial stages of his innings and was lucky to survive a dropped chance. Rohit, who only had four runs against his name at that stage, did not look back. He concentrated on building his innings, reaching his 50 off 72 balls before changing gear and taking charge. His next 50 runs came off only 28 balls, while he raised his 150 off 125 balls. By this time he was hitting boundaries and sixes almost at will and raced to his second double century in only 151 balls. He was dismissed off the last ball of the innings, leaving Virender Sehwag’s 219 against West Indies in Indore in 2011 a distant second.
India’s new-ball bowlers Umesh Yadav and Stuart Binny, who come in place of the rested Ishant Sharma, made early inroads into the Lankan innings, reducing them to 48/4 by the 10th over. Dhawal Kulkarni provided the finishing touches, picking up four wickets for 34 in his 10 overs as Lanka were bowled out for 251 in 43.1 overs.
