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On the back of twin centuries from maverick batter Virat Kohli and future superstar Shubman Gill, India demolished Sri Lanka by a historic margin of 317 runs in the third ODI at the Greenfield International Stadium in Trivandrum on January 15 (Sunday). As a result, the Men in Blue whitewashed the Islanders 3-0 in the three-match ODI series. During his majestical knock of 166 not out off 110 balls, Kohli smashed 13 fours and eight sixes, which thoroughly entertained the crowd inside the stadium and millions watching on television.
Kohli bagged the Man of the series Award after he registered two centuries in the three-game series against Sri Lanka. The stylish right-handed batter scored 283 runs in three innings at a stunning strike rate of 137.38 and a fabulous average of 141.50.
Former India captain and two-time World Cup winner, Gautam Gambhir opined that Kohli should have shared the award with fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who bowled exceedingly well in all three matches.
"For me, I think he was on par with Virat Kohli. There should have been a joint Man of the Series because he was exceptional and these were beautiful batting wickets. I know we are always tempted towards batters getting big hundreds but I think Mohammed Siraj was absolutely exceptional too in this entire series," Gambhir told Star Sports.
"I think the hallmark is, he will get many more five-fors, it's not about that he didn't get it today but how good was he, especially with the new ball. In every game, he was able to set the tone," the cricketer-turned-pundit added.
Siraj shone with a brilliant spell of 4/32 to dismiss the Sri Lankans for a paltry 73 in 22 overs in the final game of the series. The right-arm pacer bowled exceptionally well in the recently-concluded series against the Islanders. The right-arm pacer was menacing with the new ball and was the pick of all bowlers. He ended the series as the leading wicket-taker (9) and his economy rate of 4.06 was also the best among all bowlers.
