Wearing India colours motivates me: Virat Kohli

[1]

Virat Kohli, who fashioned India's 21-run voctory over Sri Lanka in the first one-dayer here, says that wearing India colours was a big motivating factor for him.

"I get really motivated when I put on the India jersey. It is a responsibility so I want to perform the best way I can," Kohli told reporters at the post match press conference last night.

"I was fortunate to have done well on a consistent basis. It was a matter of going out there and applying yourself and look for the best possible result," said Kohli who scored a 133-ball 106 to give India a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series. Kohli hit his 12th ODI century and his third against Sri Lanka this year.

He said the breeze at Hambantota played a big role in the day part of the innings.

"Ball travels much quicker off the bat in the night. We made a few mistakes in the field because we had not played here before," Kohli said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene conceded that it was a tough target to chase down but felt his side did not give up and tried till the end.

"It was a tough target to chase under lights, but there were positives from the game that we can take," Jayawardene said.

Commenting on Kohli's performance, Jayawardene said that despite the young Indian's three hundreds against Sri Lanka in the recent past, there were others in the Indian side the Lankans have to be aware of.

"We must try to stop him from scoring but its just not him only," he said. Jayawardene said no Sri Lankan batsman was able to bat alongside Sangakkara, who hit 133 for a losing cause, to keep up with the required run rate.

"Kumar batted exceptionally well dragging the game to where it needed to be so that we can have a crack at it," Jayawardene said.