Team India become first visiting side to whitewash a home side 9-0 in a tour involving all three formats

IANS

New Delhi: Riding on a yet another master class innings from India skipper Virat Kohli, Team India completed a perfect 'tour-wash' as the Men in Blue stunned Sri Lanka with a seven-wicket victory at Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Wednesday. With the win, the team became the first visiting side to whitewash a home side 9-0 in a tour involving all three formats.

Put to bat first, Sri Lanka put forth a target of 171 runs. Eforts from debutant Dilshan Munaweera (53) and then Ashan Priyanjan (40) helped the hosts pile up a fighting total for Virat Kohli's army. But on course to the total, the visitors lost both their openers Rohit Sharma (9) and Lokesh Rahul (24) real early into the innings.

Skipper Kohli stepped in next and took complete control of the game rampaging through seven boundaries and one six to notch up his 17th T20I fifty. The 28-year-old stitched a phenomenal 119-run stand for the third wicket alongside Manish Pandey (51) to steer the Indian ship past the 171-run mark.

Stealing a seven-wicket victory in the one-off encounter in the shortest format of the game, Team India became the first foreign side to inflict a complete whitewash accounting all the formats of the game in a tour.

Team India had registered a 3-0 historic whitewash in the Test series becoming the first Indian side to record an overseas Test clean sweep in a series of three or four matches. Later in the One-day Internatioanl series, the Men in Blue wrapped up Sri Lankan hope with a 5-0 victory at Colombo. The side therefore became the first visiting side to whitewash Sri Lanka at home in the 50-over format. And finally ending the tour 9-0 in total to script history.

No other side had achieved this feat. Yes, the Australians did outclass Pakistan in such a tour back in 2010 completing the tour 9-0, but was a home series for the Kangaroos. Ergo, another moment of history for the Virat Kohli-led Team India.

The Men in Blue now have seven victories in T20I against Sri Lanka out of 11 encounters. The team ergo surpass Pakistan and South Africa on the list of most wins in T20Is against a team. ut leading the chart is Team India with nine victories over Australia.

Virat Kohli's army also joined the Australians atop on the list of most consecutive wins against an opposition. Australia have nine such wins over the Islanders from 1985 to 1987. However, leading the chart are West Indies and Australia. Both have 10 consecutive victories each.