<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Virat Kohli smashed a brilliant attacking century to set up a convincing 67-run win for India in the opening one-day international against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kohli hammered 113 off 87 balls to drive India to 373-7 after they were invited to bat first at the start of the three-match series in Guwahati.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Skipper Rohit Sharma (83) and fellow opener Shubman Gill (70) put on 143 runs to lay the foundations of the mammoth total.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bowlers, led by Mohammed Siraj, then restricted Sri Lanka to 306-8 to give India a 1-0 lead in the series.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Skipper Dasun Shanaka top-scored with an unbeaten 108 after opening batsman Pathum Nissanka hit 72 but the knocks could only reduce the margin of loss for the tourists.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kohli, who survived two dropped catches on 52 and 81, stood out with his 45th ODI hundred and 73rd across all formats as he let out a roar and took off his helmet to bask in the stadium's applause.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He finally fell to third-time-lucky quick Kasun Rajitha, who was also bowling when wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis and Shanaka dropped the star batsman.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gill hit three successive boundaries off debutant left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka in the fourth over and Rohit smashed two sixes and a four off Rajitha to begin the charge on a batting-friendly pitch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rohit, who returned to captain the side after missing India's 2-1 T20I series win, reached his fifty with a four and Gill raised his half-century a short time later.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Gill took on Dunith Wellalage with three successive fours in one over before he fell lbw in the next to Shanaka's medium-pace bowling.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rohit attempted to keep up the attack with regular boundaries but Madushanka cut short his knock with a length ball that bowled the Indian skipper off an inside edge.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The rest of the innings belonged to Kohli, who has hit two successive ODI hundreds since coming out of an extended lean patch last year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In reply, Sri Lanka were never in the chase after losing two early wickets including Mendis bowled for a duck off Siraj.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nissanka attempted to give some life to the chase with his fighting knock and a 72-run fourth-wicket stand with Dhananjaya de Silva, who made 47.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sri Lanka slipped to 206-8 in the 38th over but Shanaka stretched the match till the final ball with an unbeaten 100-run stand with Rajitha.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Umran Malik took three wickets with his express pace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second match is on Thursday at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>