Ton will boost my confidence: Kohli

Virat Kohli, who starred in India's five-wicket win on Wednesday, said he was under pressure to perform and the 118 against Australia would certainly give him a lot of confidence.

But the Delhi batsman feels this knock would still not guarantee him a place as the competition for the number three slot is quite tough.

"Honestly, I was struggling to get runs. I had not scored in last six-seven matches. I was under pressure... I was not hitting in the gaps. It was very satisfying and it gives you a lot of confidence when you score chasing under pressure," Kohli said about his third one-day century, which incidentally his best so far.

"I will not say my place is cemented. I have to keep performing well in few more chases... I have to be consistent," Kohli added.

Kohli hit a 121-ball 118 to help India register the win over Australia and take a 1-0 lead before the third and final one-dayer in Margao, Goa.

"It (the win) is a good sign, it shows we have a good bench strength. In fact, the competition to get into the side helps in developing the hunger and you score more runs," he said.

Asked whether he had matured as a batsman post his knock against the world number one, the Aussies, Kohli said, "I think, you try to learn a lot at international level.

"You try to learn from the mistakes... You tend to fail sometimes... This is part and parcel of the game... You do the basics right and train hard, it pay back."

"I didn't perform well in last two series. I could not convert my scores into big knocks. There was a struggle for a place," he added.

Kohli also thanked Yuvraj Singh who extended a fine support in building the Indian innings with a 137-run third wicket stand.

"I think, someone like him at other end helps you. He has so much experience. It takes a lot of pressure off you. I had that advantage. It was a good partnership and it set the pace for us to capitalise in the end," he said.

This was a third straight win for India in the coastal city and Kohli said, "I am really happy if it happened. and I could contribute in that."

"The mood in the dressing room was very good especially after beating them 2-0 in the Tests. It got us a lot of confidence."

Dhoni heaps praise on batsmen

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday praised the batting department for scripting a five-wicket win over Australia in the second ODI, which also helped the hosts take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

"Yuvraj (Singh) and (Virat) Kohli got us back in the game and (Suresh) Raina supported Kohli well in the end. We wanted to see how much dew was around, I thought the spinners would get more turn but it turned out to be much flatter.

"(Cameron) White took the attack apart, but with Suresh Raina at the crease with one Powerplay to go I knew we had a chance. And Yuvraj, it was very important for him to get runs," Dhoni said after the match.

Kohli smashed a career-best 118, while Raina's 71 not out and Yuvraj's 58 also played crucial roles.

"Kohli has been often criticised for giving away good starts and he batted perfectly today. We'll look to win the third game as well. We have eight to 10 games before the World Cup and we want to achieve more than just winning the games," he added.

Dhoni's opposite number Michael Clarke also credited the Indian batsmen for making the difference.

"Cameron White's innings was unbelievable, I thought 290 was enough but India chased well. We'll try to rebuild. We are disappointed with the result. We'll try to do better in the first 15 overs in the second game," he said.

However, he was happy with the efforts of his bowlers and said, "John Hastings did a fantastic job, (Mitchell) Starc has a bright future for Australia."

Meanwhile, Man of the Match Kohli said he was struggling with cramps during the winning effort.

"I was struggling with cramps in my 70s and 80s. I just wanted to drag the game as much as I could to put my team in a winning position. (Murali) Vijay suggested that I just time the ball than hit it too hard. He helped calm me down.

"With Yuvraj batting at the other end, it's always helpful because he can score quickly and take the pressure off you. We just decided to build a partnership and bank on the Powerplay," he said.

Asked about batting at the number three position, he said, "The team has shown trust in me to bat at No 3 and I'll just look to capitalise. Once the dew came in, the ball was coming on quite nicely and we tried to take advantage of that."

India's young guns beat Australia

Virat Kohli hit an excellent 118 off 121 balls while Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh contributed with solid fifties as India successfully chased down a target of 290 to take a 1-0 lead in three match ODI series at the floodlit Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ADA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, here on Wednesday.

Chasing a stiff target of 290, India got off to a disastrous start by losing debutant Shikhar Dhawan for a second ball duck when he was clean bowled by Australian pace bowler Clint McKay.

Fellow opener Murali Vijay soon followed him back to the pavilion when he edged a McKay delivery to wicket-keeper Tim Paine. Vijay was looking solid but poor shot selection led to his downfall for 15 from 18 balls.

However, Virat Kohli changed the entire complexion of the match with a flawless century as he shared two crucial partnerships with Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina to put Indian on course for a magnificent win.

After missing the Test series against Australia, Yuvraj Singh answered his critics in stylish fashion by hitting classy 58 off 87 balls which included five boundaries.

Young Suresh Raina again proved that he has got the metal by finishing the things of with brilliant knock of 71 for just 47 balls. He thrashed the bowlers all over the ground and hit nine boundaries and one huge six in his innings.

There were some nervous moment at the end when India lost Kohli and skipper MS Dhoni in quick succession however Raina steadied the nerves along with Saurabh Tiwary helped India winning the match by five wickets and take an unassailable 1-0 lead in three match series. First ODI was washed out at Kochi without a ball being bowled.

Earlier stand in skipper Michael Clarke returned to form with his fifth century to help Australia post a challenging 289 for three.

Ashish Nehra evicted the opening duo of Shaun Marsh (0) and Tim Paine (9), but Clarke (111 not out from 138 balls with seven fours and one six) and Hussey (69) steadied the ship putting on 144 runs together.

Some big hitting by vice-captain Cameron White (89 from 49 balls with six fours and six overboundaries) -- with a couple of them straight ones through umpire Billy Bowden -- spurred the Aussie scoring as they scored 49 runs in the five overs of batting powerplay between 43rd and 47th overs.

Both White and Clarke were in a rampaging mood, Nehra, who had an impressive first spell of 4-1-3-2 had his figures destroyed towards the end as he returned with 57 runs from his 10 overs.

The Aussie scored 114 in the last 10 overs, something that speaks highly of Clarke's innings that had the shades of recovery and then the dominance.

Put into bat, Australia were clearly under pressure as the opening duo of Marsh and Paine were dismissed early by Nehra in an impressive first spell.

Skipper Clarke and Hussey -- the experienced duo of the new-look Australia side -- did the repair work, building their innings brick by brick, In the end Cameron White's big hitting helped Australia in reaching a fighting total of 289.