Colombo: Virat Kohli has been in the form of his life and went on to score the 13th century of his ODI career that not only gave India a comprehensive six-wicket win against Sri Lanka but also helped the visitors clinch the five-match one-day by taking a 3-1 lead at Premdasa Stadium on Tuesday.

Right been given the man-of-the-match award, Kohli said that it’s always good to score a hundred in a winning cause. "It has been going good for me. I am just trying to keep things simple. In the last match, I got set and got out. I thought about it and practiced in the nets,” said Kohli, adding, “It always pleases a sportsperson than when he performs and his team wins.”

Talking about the ease with which he tackles Lasith Malinga, Kohli said that luckily for him, he is quite strong on the leg side. “Malinga is a sort of bowler that if you don't get on top of him, he can change the match in his team’s favour. I was very disappointed with the last match as I didn't have the strike-rate to set up a platform for the side. Today I maintained the good strike since beginning and if you maintain a strike rate between 75-85, you can accelerate the run rate later," said Kohli.

Meanwhile, Indian skipper MS Dhoni was in all praise for the part time bowlers. "The part-timers bowled really well. The pace was important and they bowled to their field. What also matters is the variations you have. Manoj was the away going spinner for us. It was a good wicket, but they bowled well for us. If we don't get a perfect all-rounder, we are comfortable playing seven batsmen,” said Dhoni, adding that Kohli has improved a lot.

“Once he gets set, he's someone who doesn't like to throw away his wicket. He's a very improved cricketer, very hungry to get runs. Also the time has come to promote Suresh Raina also at 4 or 5. The problem is you have to see what's best for the side. The kind of finisher he is at 6 or 7, we haven’t been able to find anyone who can fit into his shoes at that position as of now,” said Dhoni.


Mahela Jayawardene, meanwhile, said that Sri Lanka needed take wickets to control India. “That's where we lacked in the last few games. Dropping catches didn’t help either. We didn't bat well and were 30-40 runs short.”