New Delhi: The Indian cricket team, after choosing to bat first, are dominating Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday. Virat Kohli has scored his 29th century and Rohit Sharma his 33rd half-century. Kohli-led India won the Test series 3-0 and have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in ODIs. Former Indian and World Cup-winning MS Dhoni plays his 300th ODI today and a depleted Sri Lanka have fallen back on old warhorse Lasith Malinga to captain a demoralised side. Catch live cricket score of India vs Sri Lanka, 4th ODI, Colombo here. (LIVE SCORECARD) | (LIVE STREAMING INFO)
16:46 hrs IST: Malinga continues from the other end. His toe crusher can spell trouble for the new batsman. Only four runs come of the over. India 240/2 in 32 overs (Rohit 93*, Pandya 8*)
16: 42 hrs IST: A big reprieve. Pandya was given out LBW off Dananjaya. It was a bat-pad decision. But Ultraedge shows that ball was nowhere close to the pads. The LBW tracker show the ball missing the stumps. The original decision has been overturned. India 236/2 in 31 overs.
16:40 hrs IST: Pandya starts his work in right earnest. He hits Dananjaya for a clean boundary. He comes straight down the ground and hits the spinner in style.
16:37 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya is the new batsman. He has the ability to strike big. Though, his entry at No. 4 is a bit surprising with MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey in the line-up. May be Indian think-tank doesn’t want the run-rate to lower.
16:35 hrs IST: Rohit takes up the mantle well after his captain’s departure. He gets a full toss from Malinga and he directs it over deep mid-wicket. India 230/1 in 30 overs (Rohit 90, Pandya 1*)
16:30 hrs IST: OUT! Kohli gone. India 225/2 in 29.3 overs
Malinga does the job. This is his 300th ODI wicket. Kohli hhits hits him well but finds a fielder at long-off.
16:29 hrs IST: Kohli changes his bat. Will the demolition drive increase now?
16:28 hrs IST: Malinga comes back into attack. the captain needs to guide his players well at this juncture. The run-rate has climbed to close to 8 per over.
16:25 hrs IST: FOUR! Rohits lofts Dananjaya to long-off. The lazy elegance again comes to play. He has been a pleasure to watch. India 225/1 in 29 overs (Kohli 131*, Rohit 86*)
16:20 hrs IST: A full toss and Kohli bangs it for four! You should not give it to Kohli today. Fernando gets to know it the hard way. Now he resorts to short balls. With this kind of track, his captain Malinga should tell him to do otherwise. Where is Malinga? India 216/1 in 28 overs (Kohli 126*, Rohit 82*)
16:12 hrs IST: This is only the 26th over and India have already scored 200 runs. With 24 overs left, records are bound to tumble today. If Kohli and Rohit continue in the same strain, we might very well be staring at some world records. India 201/1 in 26 overs (Kohli 114*, Rohit 79*)
16:06 hrs IST: 100 for Kohli! 29th overall and seventh against Sri Lanka. he reached the mark in just 76 balls. He whips Siriwardana on the on-side to reach the landmark. He can very well aim for a double hundred today. Too early to say. but nothing looks impossible today. India 187/1 in 25 overs
16:00 hrs IST: Kohli has moved to his 90s and Rohit in his 60s. Kohli is targetting his 29th century and seventh against Sri Lanka. India 158/1 in 22 overs
15:59 hrs IST:The 150-run stand between Rohit and Kohli comes up in 21.1 overs
15:58 hrs IST: The boundary is back! Kohli finds the gap well on the on-side of Siriwardana. India 155/1 in 21 overs
15:54 hrs IST: Only four runs off the 20th over, Sri Lanka needs such sedate overs. India 148/1 in 20 overs
15:50 hrs IST: And Rohit doesn’t stop there as he goes after Dananjaya again. He cuts the bowler through point. Rohit’s consistency has been his hall-mark so far. India 144/1 in 19 overs
15:48 hrs IST: FIFTY! Rohit Sharma gets his 33rd. This is Rohit’s third half-century in this series. The opener has been in terrible form.
15:46 hrs IST: Time for drinks! Sri Lanka need it after getting thrashed on all areas of the park. India are currently cruising at a run-rate of 7.56 per over. Kohli is in his 70s while Rohit is in his 40s
15:47 hrs IST: India 136/1 in 18 overs (Kohli 79*, Rohit 49*)
15:42 hrs IST: FOUR! Rohit is now three runs away from his 33rd half-century. It was a flighted ball from Akila Dananjaya and Rohit whacks it through extra-cover. Can India score 400* today? India 132/1 in 17 overs (Kohli 77*, Rohit 47*)
15:38 hrs IST: And Sri Lanka has Rohit to contend with too at the other end! He moves to h is 40s as he drives Pushpakumara through covers. India 126/1 in 16 overs (Kohli 76*, Rohit 42*)
15: 38 hrs IST: CLUELESS! That’s Sri Lanka’s status as of now! Kohli comes down the track again, this time against Pushpakumara and lofts the ball over long-on.
15:34 hrs IST:FOURS! That is sheer punishment! Hasaranga gives Kohli room and he whips him through extra-cover. The second is an even poorer delivery and Kohli pulls it over mid-wicket. India 113/1 in 15 overs (Kohli 68*, Rohit 37*)
15:30 hrs IST:FOUR and a SIX! Rohit is following his captain’s footsteps, First he comes down the track and hoits the ball to long-on and on the next ball sends the ball over deep mid-wicket. India 102/1 in 14 overs
15:27 hrs IST: FOUR!Kohli again. And with this he reaches 2000 ODI runs against Sri Lanka. India 91/1 in 13 overs
15:25 hrs IST: BOWLING CHANGE: Wanidu Hasaranga, right-arm leg break bowler, comes into the attack
15:23 hrs IST: After all the fire, a sedate over but still five runs come off it. India 83/1 in 12 overs
15:19 hrs IST: Kohli gets his 45th half-century off just 38 balls. He has been an absolute demolition man today. He reached the figures with help of nine fours. India 78/1 in 11 overs (Kohli 50*, Rohit 20*)
15:17 hrs IST: Kohli hits Malinga for a four again. There was a top edge and the ball went to fine-leg boundary. Can he reach his 45th half-century in this over itself?
15:16 hrs IST: With the Sri Lanka bowling in disarray SL fielders should be more proactive. Malinga comes in to bowl the 11th over.
15:11 hrs IST: There seems to be no stopping Kohli today. He reaches his 40s as he hits spinner Pushpakumara to successive boundaries. The first one deflects off the stump with a to the long-on boundary and the next delivery slips past the cover fielder. India 67/1 in 10 overs (Kohli 44*, Rohit 17*)
15:09 hrs IST: SIX! Now Rohit is upping the ante. After the Kohli show, he dispatches Mathews for the maximum. It was a shortish delivery and Rohit judges it well to whack it. He is confident with his shot goes over the boundary. India 55/1 in 9 overs (Kohli 33*, Rohit 16*)
15:05 hrs IST: Oh that was close! Kohli wanted to take a single but Rohit says no. Kohli makes a great dive and has a close shave. After a long time no boundaries, in the over. India 48/1 in 8 overs
15:00 hrs IST: Rohit joins the party as he hits Mathews over extra-cover. Sri Lanka are feeling the heat now. India run-rate is closing on seven per over. India 45/1 in 7 overs
14:56 hrs IST: WHACK! Kohli first punishes Fernando’s full toss and then gets another four with a glorious off-drive. He has reached 30 in just 21 balls. India 39/1 in 6 overs
14:53 hrs IST: FOUR! Kohli again! This time he steps out of the pitch and hits the ball through mid-wicket. India 29/1 in 5 overs
14:51 hrs IST: First bowling change for Sri Lanka as Angelo Mathews comes in to the attack. The pitch looks good as the ball is coming on to the bat. With the intent that Kohli is showing, Sri Lanka bowlers need to be extra cautious.
14:47 hrs IST: TWO MORE! Kohli gets after Fernando again. He connects well with the ball to hit successive boundaries. First with an off-drive and then through mid-wicket. This is sheer dominance. India 24/1 in 4 overs
14:46 hrs IST:KOHLI STRIKES! Kohli stamps his class on Fernando as he gets his first boundary with a cover drive. He needs to take this good start to a big score.
14:41 hrs IST: Virat Kohli comes in to bat. Sri Lanka has had a tremendous start as Malinga continues from the other end. After his 82* in the first ODI Kohli has not got past single digit scores in the second and third ODIs. The India captain would hope to change that record. India 11/1 in 3 overs
14: 34 hrs IST: OUT! Dhawan departs India 6/1 in 1.3 overs
Vishwa Fernando dismisses him off third delivery. Was it a case of wild aggression? Dhawan heaves the ball which takes thick top edge and is caught by Pushpakumara at third man. Rohit Sharma still stands solid.
14:32 hrs IST: An elegant cover dive from Dhawan off Malinga and the ball races to boundary. Dhawan seems to have rediscovered himself in this Sri Lanka tour. He has been aggressive. Both the openers are off the mark. India 6/0 in 1 over
14: 29 hrs IST: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawar are out in the middle. Captain Lasith Malinga will bowl the first over.
14:29 hrs IST: Meanwhile, MS Dhoni was presented with a platinum bat by Virat Kohli ahead of the match to commemorate his 300th ODI.
14:24 hrs IST: World cricket has seen two huge upsets in the last two days: Bangladesh defeating Australia at home while West Indies defeating England in an away Test. Can Sri Lanka take inspiration from the wins to make the contest more interesting?
14:20 hrs IST:SL XI: Dickwella, Munaweera, Mendis, Thirimanne, Mathews, Siriwardana, Hasaranga, Dananjaya, Pushpakumara, Fernando, Malinga
14:17 hrs IST: IND XI: RG Sharma, S Dhawan, V Kohli, L Rahul, M Pandey, MS Dhoni, H Pandya, A Patel, K Yadav, J Bumrah, S Thakur
14:15 hrs IST: A very good decision by the Indian team management. With the series in pocket, this is the perfect time to give the youngsters a taste of the big stage. The intent is clear now - aim for the ICC 2019 World Cup.
14:04 hrs IST: SELECTION NEWS: As many as three changes in Indian playing XI - Pacer Shardul Thakur comes in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Spinner Kuldeep Yadav comes in for Yuzvendra Chahal, and middle-order batsman Manish Pandey comes in for Kedar Jadhav.
14:00 hrs IST: Virat Kohli has won the toss and has chosen to bat first in the 4th ODI, which is also MS Dhoni’s 300th. What an occasion for India’s most successful captain ever!
13:55 hrs IST: While India have ticked all boxes right, they too are facing some concerns, especially with Virat Kohli saying that this series begins India’s preparation for 2019 ICC World Cup.
13:50 hrs IST: We are 10 minutes away from the toss. While India are looking ahead to maintain their unbeaten run, Sri Lanka would be hoping to win the last Two ODIs and ensure themselves an automatic entry into the ICC 2019 World Cup. Remember: The top 8 teams will have automatic qualification for World Cup.
13:39 hrs IST: MS Dhoni will become only the sixth Indian cricketer to play 300 ODIs. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Azharuddin are the other Indian stars to have reached this milestone.
13:30 hrs IST: MS Dhoni, playing in his 300th ODI, is on the threshold of two world records. If he effects one more stumping, he will reach 100 stumpings. If he remains not out, then he will have the most not outs in ODI cricket.
13:21 hrs IST: A loss today for Sri Lanka makes their direct qualification for the World Cup interesting. If they lose and they win the final ODI, their points remain the same. If they lose the last two, they will slip to 86 points, giving West Indies a lifeline.
13:13 hrs IST: A warm welcome to the fourth ODI between India vs Sri Lanka in Colombo. The talk is all about MS Dhoni as he enters a special club - notably the 300 club. The Indian wicketkeeper and former captain will play his 300th ODI today.
PREVIEW
The series already sealed, Virat Kohli will be inclined to test his bench ahead of the home series against Australia. The likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur will be in contention for a place in the playing XI today.
PROBLEM APLENTY FOR SRI LANKA
Dinesh Chandimal has been ruled out of the series with a hairline fracture on his right thumb, after getting hit in the third ODI. To add to their problems, stand-in captain Chamara Kapugedera will also miss the remaining two ODIs with a back injury. With Angelo Mathews not willing to lead, Malinga will have to show the way.
Dhananjaya de Silva and Dilshan Munaweera have been added to the squad. The hosts also have Thisara Perera and Wanindu Hasaranga on the bench.
