Kohli back to his best after Aussie low

After the worst series of his distinguished Test career, Virat Kohli has returned to his best to help India set Sri Lanka a massive 550 to win the first Test.

Live scores: Sri Lanka v India, first Test

Kohli brought up his 17th Test century on day four in Galle, reaching three figures with a single off Dilruwan Perera and celebrating by triumphantly punching the air before removing his helmet and accepting the applause of his teammates.

Kohli declared a short time later when India's lead was 549, the skipper finishing unbeaten on 103.

It's Kohli's first three-figure score in Tests since a double-century against Bangladesh in February and comes after he averaged just 9.20 in the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia earlier this year.

That series, where he managed just 46 runs in three Tests, came after a averaged more than 80 over the previous 12 months, including a double-century in four consecutive series.

Kohli had been dismissed for just three on the opening day of the Test, making it seven consecutive Test innings without a fifty.

But the right-hander returned to his best in the second innings, moving to 76 not out at stumps on day three and then pushing on to three figures on the fourth morning.

"He needed that just to arrest a small slump in his form," noted former Sri Lanka player Russell Arnold in commentary. "And he's done that in grand style."

It's Kohli's 10th hundred as skipper moving him to one behind Sunil Gavaskar's Indian record of 11.

The knock also pushed Kohli's Test average to 50.02, meaning he's the only man in the history of the game to average more than 50 in all three forms of the game at international level.

On Friday, Kohli and Abhinav Mukund fired quick runs off the dispirited Sri Lankan bowlers to power the tourists to a hefty second-innings lead.

It was a crushing day for the home side. After smashing 600 in the first innings and then bowling out Sri Lanka for 291 earlier in the day, India reached 3-189 at stumps.

Even an 84-minute rain break on Friday could not dampen India's determination and Sri Lanka's stand-in captain Rangana Herath went off for the final hour after hurting a finger trying to stop a Kohli drive.

Kohli and Mukund made 133 for the third wicket. No Sri Lankan bowler made much of an impact until Danushka Gunathilaka claimed Mukund lbw.

Mukund at first stood his ground, but the TV umpire gave part-time spinner Gunathilaka the wicket.

India lost their first-innings batting heroes Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara cheaply. 

Kohli and Mukund then hit out, scoring at virtually 4.5 runs an over, with 13 boundaries between them.