India vs. Sri Lanka, 1st ODI: Highlights, Scorecard and Report

India put in a wonderful performance to beat Sri Lanka in the first one-day international by 169 runs in Cuttack.   

The Indian Cricket Twitter account shared the result:

The home side produced a stunning batting display to post a score of 363-5 in their 50 overs, as openers Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan both struck centuries in a 231-run partnership.

The Sri Lankan response never got going, as they lost wickets at critical times to finish up all out for 194 with 10.4 overs left in the match. Ishant Sharma shone with the ball for India, taking four wickets.

Here’s a recap of the action and the full scorecard from the first ODI:

India Innings
Sri Lanka Innings
Batsman	Dismissal	Runs	Balls
AM Rahane	c Jayawardene b Randiv	111	108
S Dhawan	b Priyanjan	113	107
SK Raina	lbw b Randiv	52	34
V Kohli*	c Perera b Randiv	22	21
AT Rayudu	c Perera b Gamage	27	20
WP Saha†	not out	10	8
AR Patel	not out	14	4
Extras	(lb 5, w 7, nb 2)	14
Total	(5 wickets; 50 overs)	363
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
KTGD Prasad	9	0	60	0
PLS Gamage	9	1	59	1
AD Mathews	4	0	33	0
NLTC Perera	7	0	51	0
S Randiv	10	0	78	3
S Prasanna	6	0	47	0
TM Dilshan	3	0	19	0
SMA Priyanjan	2	0	11	1
Batsman	Dismissal	Runs	Balls
WU Tharanga	c Dhawan b Ashwin	28	53
TM Dilshan	c †Saha b Yadav	18	22
KC Sangakkara†	c †Saha b Sharma	13	13
DPMD Jayawardene	c Kohli b Patel	43	36
S Prasanna	c Rahane b Patel	5	13
AD Mathews*	c Patel b Raina	23	32
SMA Priyanjan	c †Saha b Sharma	12	21
NLTC Perera	c Sharma b Yadav	29	27
S Randiv	b Sharma	5	8
KTGD Prasad	c †Saha b Sharma	0	4
PLS Gamage	not out	0	8
Extras	(lb 4, w 13, nb 1)	18
Total	(all out; 39.2 overs)	194
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
UT Yadav	6.2	2	24	2
VR Aaron	4.1	0	26	0
I Sharma	8	1	34	4
V Kohli	0.5	0	6	0
R Ashwin	9	0	52	1
AR Patel	6	0	24	2
SK Raina	5	0	24	1

India's stand-in skipper Virat Kohli will be looking to recapture his form in this series, and ahead of the match he hit back at those who have been critical of his recent displays, per sports.ndtv.com:

"

I don't know how I got 25 hundreds with the same technique—you can start a debate on that as well.

I worked on my fitness. It's not a nice thing to break down the whole batting when something has been working for you. Something that I've done is to work on my confidence a lot rather than going into technical stuff.

"

Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Kohli will have been well aware that getting off to a brisk start is vital, as the runs scored or wickets lost in the opening exchanges set a tempo for the remainder of the match, and in this case, even the series. And not long after both Rahane and Dhawan took to the crease, it was clear that India were set on posting a big total.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

The opening duo played not only with a real panache but also a studiousness that laid magnificent foundations for the rest of the innings. It must be said that the Sri Lankan bowlers did lack a little ingenuity in their endeavours, but credit must be given to both Rahane and Dhawan for two knocks of real quality.

Indeed, it took Sri Lanka 35 overs to take their first wicket of the game as Dhawan fell to the bowling of Suraj Randiv, who was the visitor’s best bowler in an otherwise uninspiring effort. Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody thinks that Dhawan, who was out for 113 from just 107 balls, could be one of the stars of the summer:

The wicket brought an end to an outstanding 231-run opening stand, but with 15 overs remaining, India had an excellent chance to accelerate their scoring and secure a total well in excess of 300 runs. VVS Laxman paid tribute to the openers' efforts:

Rahane remained at the crease for just shy of three more overs before he departed, bowled by Ashan Priyanjan. Like Dhawan, he had played sensationally well for his 111 from 108 balls, and as noted here by former Sri Lanka cricketer Russel Arnold, it was constructed by some deliciously flamboyant shots:

From there it was up to the middle order to push India on, and in Suresh Raina they had the ideal man for this situation. He came in and struck a scintillating 52 from 34 balls to increase the run rate further, and although the hosts looked capable of reaching 400 at one stage, some late wickets sapped a little bit of momentum and they finished up on 363-5.

Clive Mason/Getty Images

A mammoth score, no doubt. But when your batting line-up contains men with the quality of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, you’ll always feel as though there’s a chance. But unfortunately for Sri Lanka, they were unable to gain any kind of a foothold in the match and subsequently never looked like matching that huge score.

Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Neither Dilshan nor his opening partner Upul Tharanga looked especially fluent at the crease, and with the required scoring rate soaring upwards after a slow-paced start, you could sense that frustration was beginning to creep into their play. 

Dilshan was first to go after Umesh Yadav had him caught for just 18. And when Sangakkara came and went for 13 in the 14th over, Sri Lanka were well and truly on the ropes. Jayawardene came in and played well, striking a brisk 43, but as wickets fell around him at regular intervals, there was very little in terms of sustained support.

Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Chasing a target way beyond their reach eventually yielded a host of cheap wickets. Sri Lanka were put out of their misery in the 40th over when Yadav took the wicket of Thisara Perera. While the tourist’s bowlers toiled for long spells, Sharma made the ball talk for India, helping himself to four wickets, including the crucial capture of Sangakkara.

Indian cricket expert Aakash Chopra noted some improvements the rangy fast bowler has made recently:

India couldn’t have wished for a better start to the series, and in Dhawan, Rahane and Raina, they have three of the most coveted batsmen in the world game.

Sri Lanka must find a way of limiting their contributions next time out, otherwise we could be witness to another landslide victory for the hosts.