India vs Sri Lanka Live Score 3rd ODI: Virat Kohli unbeaten 46th ODI century, takes IND to 390/5

Dunith Wellalage will bat as a concussion substitute for Jeffrey Vandersay. Let’s hope that the two players involved that horrific clash get better soon. 

Avishka Fernando and Nuwanidu Fernando come out to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Mohammed Shami has the ball in his hands. 

Kohli has surpassed Tendulkar for most ODI centuries at home and Jayawardene to become the fifth highest ODI run scorer of all time. His 166 not out is also the highest-ever score in any format at this ground.

Felt very good. Always good when you convert a start to a big one. We were not really looking at any target, just tried to see how the wicket plays. The odd ball was keeping low but apart from that, it is a very nice wicket. When you are batting with someone like Rohit Bhai or Virat Bhai, you don’t have to do much. We were just talking about whom to target and when to target. We didn’t score much in the first few overs, so then we discussed on scoring faster. He (Kohli) is amazing, I remember watching him as a kid and it feels great to share the crease with him today.

Full and wide from Kumara and Kohli sends it past the diving deep backward point. Kohli ends with an unbeaten 166 off 110 balls with 13 fours and 8 sixes. This has been an exhibition of batting from the former India captain and then some. It all started with a strong opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill and then came Kohli. He first saw Gill score his second ODI century at the other end before unleashing himself. 

Kumara pitches it short, Kohli steps back and pulls it in front of square, his eighth six of the innings. 

But Kohli gets past his 150 in just 106 balls. Kohli goes over midwicket, Fernando jumps, catches the ball mid-air and then throws it back in but replays show that he had touched the ground just before that. Kohli is on 155 off 106 balls.  

There wasn’t too much time for him to make an impact anyhow and he leaves trying to go big. Caught at sweeper cover. Suryakumar Yadav c Fernando b Rajitha 4 (4), India 370/5 in 48.4 overs

Suryakumar goes for one of those expansive reverse sweeps he does, it goes straight to Kumara at third man but he can’t catch it the first time, tries to get a hand on the falling ball the second time and fails. 

He cuts it straight to deep cover but there are more cheers than anything else because this means that Suryakumar Yadav will walk out to bat. There are just 13 balls left in this innings though. Rahul c sub (D Wellalage) b Kumara 7 (6), India 364/4 in 47.5 overs/

The last five overs have produced 70 runs at a rate of 14.00. Most of this has been scored by Kohli who is looking utterly unstoppable now. Sri Lankans seem to have lost it as well, missing their lines and lengths constantly.

Straight and full from Rajitha, Rahul creams it through covers for four. India have reached 354/3 in 46.4 overs. 

The next delivery was called wide and then Kohli sends it into the stands again! He has now reached 140 in 98 balls. Rajitha not helping himself by missing the yorkers that he seems to be attempting. 

Rajitha bowls it into the slot, Kohli is not missing out on those. Not in this kind of form. He sends it over wide long-on. 

Iyer tries to go over extra cover and fails. Iyer c sub (Dhanjaya) b Kumara 38 (32), India 334/3 in 45.3 overs

Length delivery outside off, Kohli gets into position early and sends it over extra cover to the boundary. 

Stop him if you can! The next ball is effortlessly put into the stands behind deep midwicket.

Full outside off from Chamika Karunaratne, Kohli gets under it and lofts a checked drive. This is extraordinary batting.  

How about that! Kohli charges down the ground and pumps Rajitha over long-on. There was so much bottom hand in that the bat did a full turn after he eventually connected, just as MS Dhoni used to in his prime. 

Third century in his last four matches. When it rains it pours. For over three years Kohli could hardly get close to a century and now, he can’t stop scoring them. He is now three away from equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s century record. Judging by the way things are going at the moment, Kohli will replace Tendulkar at the top of that list before long. 

Umpires ge the Sri Lankans back and they have brought on a couple of substitute fielders. Kohli has a chat with Shanaka and it seems we are ready to resume now 

Vandersay seemed to be standing but he has gone down again and there is another stretcher coming out. Bandara has also been given a neck brace. Eventually Vandersay has also been stretchered off. Almost all the Indian players are off their seats and straining their necks to see what is going on. The match has gone into the background for a while, everyong is concerned about the health of the two players.  

Ashen Bandara and Jeffrey Vandersay both go chasing after a ball that is going towards the squre leg boundary off Kohli’s bat. They both slide into each other, Bandara tries getting up but he also goes down when he sees that the ball has touched the boundary. Concerned faces on both sides as the two players stay down on the ground. Even the Indian physios seem to be giving a hand here. Eventually, a stretcher has been brought out and Ashen Bandara, who has been a dynamite on the field, is having to be carried away. 

A rather lucky escape for the Indian captain but he has been getting quite a few of those of late. Kohli looking to hit Lahiru Kumara over the bowler’s head but long-on comes into play. However, the fielder comes too far inside and has to dive with his arms strethed over his head, gets nowhere close to the ball and it goes over the boundary. 

Hasaranga tosses it up outside off and Iyer is on to it like a rash. Slog sweep over deep midwicket and that is his first six of the innings. 

Third ball of the 37th over bowled by Chamika Karunaratne. Iyer goes for the pull but it doesn’t bounce enough and he has to do a rather botched readjustment. The ball pops up in the air past the wicketkeeper to the boundary. 

OUT! A fine innings has come to an end as Shubman Gill departs. Rajitha has cleaned up the in-form batter after the drinks break. Shubman Gill b Rajitha 116 (97). Shreyas Iyer is the next man in for India. IND 228-2 after 34 overs. 

Jeffrey Vandersay has been taken apart in that over. Gill with three fours and Kohli with one. India are rampaging here, partnership is in 125 off 100 balls.  

A single does the job for him as well. He takes off his helmet and takes a bow before raising his bat. That is the second ODI century of Shubman Gill’s career and he is showing exactly why India preferred him in that slot despite Ishan Kishan scoring a double century against Bangladesh. 

A single does the job for Kohli but for once he is not really the focus. Gill at the other end is on 99. 

Just a single after Gill reaches 98 off the second ball of the 31st. 

A lucky four off the fifth ball of the 29th for Gill and then a glorious inside out shot over covers for six. He is now within one shot of his second ODI century. 

It seems Virat Kohli needs some work to be done on his helmet and so there is small break in play. Partnership between these two is now 67 off 66. 

Big appeal for LBW against Gill from Hasaranga off the fourth ball of the 24th over. Gill gets down on a knee but is early to the sweep. Umpire shook his head but Sri Lanka go for the review. Gill seemed to be telling Kohli that he had got a glove on and replays show that he was right. India 153/1 in 24 overs. 

A nice slow half volley that Dasun Shanaka sends in, screaming to be hit and Gill obliges with a cover drive. The 50-run partnership between him and Kohli has come in just 44 balls.  

Jeffrey Vandersay goes a bit too full and Gill brings out the slog sweep. It goes over the vacant midwicket area and crosses the boundary. India 136/1 in 21 overs. 

A single off the last ball of the 19th over does the job. It has come in just 52 balls. Gill has hit eight fours in his innings thus far. 

Kohli hit consecutive fours in the 17th over and he is now on 15 off 7. Gill is on 46 off as many. 

He puts in a front foot defence for the first ball he faces and then whips out the cover drive to get off the mark with a boundary. That also brings up India’s 100. 

The pull shot doesn’t work for the Indian captain this time and he seems quite disappointed with himself. 

Rohit Sharma c Fernando b Karunaratne 42 (49), India 95/1 in 15.2 overs

What an opening partnership this has turned out to be. Both batters look good enough to score at least a half century. 

That over ends 6, 6, 4. Just sensational batting this from the Indian opening pair in the first powerplay. 

Sensational from the Indian captain and India are on the bike now. A pull short off the fourth ball and then he anticipates the batter to change his line. Rohit sends the next ball straight over the bowler’s head for another. 

6, 1, 4, 4, 4, 4 is how that sixth over has gone. Wide length ball from Kumara, Gill goes down on one knee and caresses it through the covers. That shot is a work of art. India 42/0 after 6 overs. 

Now to the leg side. Kumara has been taken to the cleaners in this over. 6, 1, 4, 4, 4. 

Gill then plays a cover drive off the front foot off the next ball. The sixth over has gone 6, 1, 4, 4. 

That is lovely from Gill. The batters run a rather risky single after that six and then, Gill just jabs at a shortish delivery on the backfoot to send it to the offside boundary. 

Kumara goes a touch too full and Rohit plays the pick up shot to send it over midwicket for a six. Great timing to a delivery that wasn’t too bad. 

India playing a game of wait and watch. No big intent to go big thus far from Rohit or Gill. 

Kumara gives Gill some width and the batter cuts it away to the boundary. First boundary of the match for India, 10/0 in 3.2 overs 

Kasun Rajitha bowled the first one with Rohit Sharma taking guard and Shubman Gill at the other end. There was a loud appeal for LBW off the last ball which the umpire turned down. 

Equal boundaries on all sides. No grass on the pitch at all, looking like a very good surface. Kumar Sangakkara had said that he would have chosen to bowl first and so, clearly Rohit Sharma looking to give his team a challenge by batting first.

Environment here feels very similar to Sri Lanka. We have been good at the start but batsmen haven’t been able to capitalize after that, that’s something we have to improve on. Two changes – Ashen Bandara is in for DDS, and Jeffrey Vandersay in for Dunith Wellalage.

We will bat first. Looks a good pitch, try to make the most of it. Still a lot of areas we can keep improving, today gives up a chance to perfect those. We want to play close to a perfect game, we’ll never have the perfect game. Hardik and Umran are rested, Washington and Suryakumar are in.

Avishka Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis(w), Ashen Bandara, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara

Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

India win toss, choose to bat. Suryakumar Yadav plays!

Avishka Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Jeffrey Vandersay, Ashen Bandara, Pramod Madushan, Pathum Nissanka, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana

Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh

Axar Patel isn’t available for the New Zealand series due to personal reasons. This gives team an opportunity to get Washington Sundar some game time ahead of the series.

If Shami is rested, Arshdeep Singh could come into the XI as a replacement. The seamer has not been used in the previous two ODIs and will be hoping to make a strong return, especially after the dreadful outing in T20Is with no-balls troubling him at both end of the innings. 

The BCCI in a review meeting earlier this month stated that focus will be given on workload management, keeping the 2023 World Cup in mind.

So with India playing six ODIs in a space of two weeks – 3 vs Sri Lanka, 3 vs New Zealand, Mohammed Shami can be benched as a precautionary step by the management.

Shami is currently the amongst the most experienced seamers, who are available at the moment. With Bumrah yet to recover from his back problem, Shami is expected to spearhead the Indian seam attack in the following series against New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Tests, thus his workload needs a good amount of monitoring.

Yuzvendra Chahal was left out of the XI due to an injury and it is still unclear if the spinner has regained 100 percent match fitness. 

If Chahal returns to the XI, Kuldeep Yadav may have to make way despite producing an impressive performance in the second ODI in Kolkata.

India won the first ODI by 91 runs, which also saw Virat Kohli smash his 45th ODI ton. Batting first India had piled a gigantic 373/7 in 50 overs. Sri Lanka managed 306/8 in response with their skipper Dasun Shanaka hitting an unbeaten 108 off 88 balls. 

India won the second ODI by four wickets. Kuldeep Yadav, who came into the XI in place of Yuzvendra Chahal, and produced yet another brilliant show. The spinner scalped three wickets as Sri Lanka could only last 39.4 overs batting first. India chased down the paltry 216-run target with 6.4 overs to spare.

Hello and welcome to the LIVE coverage of the third and final ODI between India and Sri Lanka, which will be played at Thiruvananthapuram. The match starts at 1:30 pm and the toss for the same will take place at 1:00 pm. Stay tuned for all the updates related to the match.