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Indian batter Virat Kohli on Tuesday said his preparation and intent are always the same and he is in a happy space and enjoying his cricket.
Heroics by star batter Virat Kohli and 'Jammu Express' Umran Malik outpowered a fighting century by skipper Dasun Shanaka as India defeated Sri Lanka by 67 runs in the first ODI of three-match series at Guwahati on Tuesday. "I do not think there was anything different. My preparation and intent always remain the same. I thought I was hitting the ball nicely. It was close to the template I play with, I understood we needed an extra 25-30 runs," said Kohli in a post-match presentation. "I tried to understand the conditions in the second half. Tried to get a comfortable total for us on the board. The one thing I learnt was desperation does not get you anywhere. You do not need to complicate things. You go out there and play without any fear, I cannot hold on to things. You have to play for the right reasons and almost play every game like it is your last and just be happy about it. The game is going to move on. I am not going to play forever, I am in a happy space and enjoying my time playing," added Kohli. India is 1-0 up in the three-match series. Put to bat first by Sri Lanka, India scored 373/7 in their 50 overs. Indian top-order batters delivered fantastic contributions, with Virat Kohli (113) scoring his 73rd international ton and 45th ODI ton. Skipper Rohit Sharma (83), Shubman Gill (70) also scored valuable fifties. Rajitha finished with figures of 3/88 in ten overs. Madushanka, Chamika Karunaratne, skipper Dasun Shanaka and Dhananjay de Silva took a wicket each. Chasing 374, Sri Lanka lost wickets at a consistent rate. Knocks from skipper Dasun Shanaka (108* off 88 balls) and Pathum Nissanka (72 off 80 balls) were exceptional but they did not get much support from other batters, except Dhananjaya de Silva (47 off 40 balls). Nissanka and Asalanka had a 72-run stand for the fourth wicket. Umran Malik took three wickets, while Siraj (2/30) provided a good start to Men in Blue. Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Shami took a wicket each. Virat Kohli was adjudged as 'Man of the Match' for his century. The second ODI will take place on January 12 in Eden Gardens, Kolkata while the third ODI will take place in Greenfield International Stadium at Thiruvananthapuram on January 15. (ANI)
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