OTD| India defeated Sri Lanka in 2023 to register the biggest win in the history of ODI cricket

On this day last year, the Men in Blue demolished the visitors, Sri Lanka, to register the biggest win in the history of ODI cricket. Team India reached Thiruvananthapuram with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series. The Indians were determined to win the ultimate match of the series and sweep the series in a dominating fashion. 

A batting masterclass in the first innings

Rohit Sharma won the toss for India and opted to put runs on the board in the first innings for Sri Lanka to chase. The opening pair of Rohit and Shubman Gill started the first innings on an explosive note with a quickfire start. The Indian skipper batted with a positive intent before losing his wicket. This momentum was carried on by Virat Kohli as he did not let the momentum shift in Sri Lanka’s favour after Rohit’s dismissal. 

Virat and Shubman built a strong partnership where Shubman played the role of aggressor and scored 116 runs off just 97 balls with an impressive strike rate of 119.58. The former Indian captain continued to dominate the opposition and stayed on the crease till the last ball of the first innings. Virat completed his 46th century in ODI cricket and eventually ended up with an unbeaten 166-run knock. India posted a massive total of 390 runs at the end of the first innings. 

A heavy defeat for Sri Lanka

The run chase was expected to be tough but the Sri Lankan team must have been hoping for a fight. However, the Indian bowling unit had different plans as Siraj and Shami broke the spine of the Sri Lankan batting order in their initial spell. Half of the Sri Lankan team was already back in the pavilion in the first 10 overs only. The Men in Blue wrapped up Sri Lanka’s run chase without any delay as the visitors could only score 73 runs. Siraj picked up 4 wickets and the young fast bowler was assisted by Shami and Kuldeep in registering a historic victory to seal the ODI series.