Gautam Gambhir lauds Virat Kohli for converting his start to a ton

Virat Kohli in action [Source: AP]

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma re-kindled his old batting self, scoring a swift 83 off 67 runs in the first One-Day International against Sri Lanka. 

While Rohit missed scoring a daddy hundred, teammate Virat Kohli took full chance and hammered his 45th ODI ton.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir opines that Rohit could have easily scored a double-hundred. 

Speaking to official broadcasters, Gambhir further hailed Kohli for converting his start to a century. 

Here's what Gambhir stated

"Both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill would be kicking themselves thinking that they could easily have got to 150-160. Rohit could have gone on to get a double hundred as well. Then, the lost opportunity was someone else’s opportunity and Virat took it with both hands. That is what top and great players do. They convert those starts and Virat has done and shown that.

"Rohit, I’m sure, would be kicking himself. It was a great opportunity for him to dominate the entire game because of the way he was batting. He could have gone to another double hundred if he wanted to."

Fifties from Rohit and Shubman Gill, and a ton from Kohli helped India put up a mammoth target of 373 for 7 in Guwahati. 

Despite Dasun Shanaka's unbeaten hundred, Sri Lanka lost the encounter by 67 runs, handing the hosts a 1-0 lead. The second ODI will take place on January 12 in Kolkata.

Also Read: Virat Kohli surpasses Sachin Tendulkar in a batting milestone