Virat Kohli after scoring 73rd century: 'Desperation doesn't get you anywhere, keep things simple'

Virat Kohli has said that "desperation doesn't get you anywhere" and one must keep things simple in order to succeed.

Kohli's comments came on Tuesday after he scored his career's 73rd international century and helped India defeat Sri Lanka by 67 runs in the first One-Day International (ODI) in Guwahati. The former India captain scored an 87-ball 113 in the first innings and helped India to put up 373 for 7 in 50 overs. He struck 12 fours and a six as he scored runs at a strike-rate of 129.89.

It was also Kohli's 45th ODI century and now he is just four tons away from matching Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of 49 ODI hundreds. Kohli, who had a century drought from November 2019 to September 2022, has now scored two back-to-back ODI hundreds, with the first one coming in the third ODI against Bangladesh last month.

"I don't think there was anything different. My preparation and intent always remain the same. I thought I was hitting the ball nicely. It was close to the template I play with, I understood we needed an extra 25-30 runs. I tried to understand the conditions in the second half. Tried to get a comfortable total for us on the board. The one thing I learnt was desperation doesn't get you anywhere. You do not need to complicate things," Kohli said at the post-match presentation on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old batter also suggested that one must play "every game like it's your last and just be happy about it."

"You go out there and play without any fear, I can't hold on to things. You have to play for the right reasons and almost play every game like it's your last and just be happy about it. The game is going to move on. I am not going to play forever, I am in a happy space and enjoying my time playing," added Kohli.

https://twitter.com/imVkohli/status/1612862184224329728

Meanwhile, Kohli also equalled Tendulkar's all-time record of most ODI centuries at home – 20 hundreds, with Hashim Amla (14), Ricky Ponting (13), and Ross Taylor (12) next in the list.

Rohit Sharma: 'We could have bowled better'

All of India' top three performed well on Tuesday in the opening ODI as India went 1-0 up in the three-match series. Captain Rohit Sharma, who was returning from a finger injury, scored a brilliant 83 off just 67 balls, while his opening partner Shubman Gill contributed with a 60-ball 70.

"Pretty impressed actually. We started off well with the bat, it was a great effort from all batters. The platform was set for all the batters, I thought we could have bowled better. Don't want to be too critical, as the conditions were not easy. It wasn't easy to bowl under the lights especially when dew comes in. Everyone needs to come to the party if you want to win, but we bowled well in upfront. You got to be in the game to take those half chances.

"You are not going to have a perfect game always, there are certain areas to work on as a group. All eleven members need to put in an effort collectively. I had no idea Shami did that (run-out), he was batting on 98. The way he batted was brilliant, we cannot get him out like that. Not something that we thought off, hats off to him, he played really well," said Rohit after India's 67-run win.

The second ODI between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to take place on Thursday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.