Leading the Indian team in the absence of rested skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma demolished the Sri Lankan bowlers, recording his third ODI double hundred which pushed the Lankans out of the contest in the second match of the series on Sunday in Mohali. Angelo Mathews’s century only delayed the inevitable before India registered a mammoth 141-run win to level the three-match series 1-1.

It wasn’t much of a surprise when Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera didn’t hesitate in letting the hosts bat first after winning the toss, after they were already seven wickets down after scoring 29 runs in their last meeting in Dharamsala. The Lankans who lost the three-test series 1-0 against India, had been hoping for a repeat of the Dharamsala victory on Sunday, when India bundled out for 112 in a seven-wicket defeat.

After being put in to bat, India scored a mammoth 392/4, thanks to captain Rohit’s 208 not out off 153 deliveries, that deflated the Lankans who were buoyed after their big win in the first ODI in Dharamsala.

It was also India’s 100th total of 300 or more in ODI cricket, making them the first team to do so. Rohit and Dhawan built a solid partnership, with Dhawan scoring 68 runs, followed by the 88 scored by Shreyas Iyer, which also happened to be only his second ODI.

Rohit hit 13 fours and 12 sixes with his ton being smashed in 115 deliveries in the 40th over. He tore the Lankan bowlers apart in the last 10 overs, as India added 147 more to their huge total.

Rohit also notched up his 16th hundred in the 50-over format, and also the seventh time a batsman scored 200 or more in ODIs with his 264 against the Lankans in Kolkata, in 2014 being the highest individual score in the 50-over format.

Sri Lankan paceman Nuwan Pradeep conceded 106 runs off his 10 overs, meanwhile Perera gave away 80 runs in an eight-over stint.

Legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal led the Indian attack with a spell of 3/60 as the hosts restricted the visitors to 251/8 despite veteran allrounder Mathews’s undefeated 111.

Jasprit Bumrah picked 2/43, while debutant offspinner Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya took a wicket each.

The final match of the series will be played in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, December 17, before they meet for their three-match T20 series.