It all began as India were leading the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. On November 13, 2014, the then Team India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first in the fourth ODI against their distant rivals.

With the series already in the bag, Rohit Sharma opened the innings with Ajinkya Rahane. The duo delivered a strong start to the Indian team despite Lanka having the likes of Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera and others.