Sri Lanka Celebrates the Victory: ODI Series After 27 Years
Sri Lanka, after a long wait of 27 years, finally managed to defeat India in an ODI series. The last time they defeated India was in 1997. The Sri Lankan unit clinically managed to defeat Team India 2-0 after the first game ended in a tie. The return of Sanath Jayasuriya in Sri Lankan colors has surely changed the intent of this Lankan team, which had been struggling for many years.
Rohit Loses 3rd Toss in a Row
At R. Premadasa Stadium, Rohit lost his 3rd toss in a row and was asked to bowl first once again. The Indian team made 2 changes: they left out Rahul and Arshdeep and brought in Parag and Pant, while Sri Lanka brought back Theekshana.
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Sri Lankan Batters Start Well
Sri Lankan openers started well and did not allow Indian pacers to get early wickets. Both batted solidly until the 19th over, bringing up a partnership of 89 runs. Axar dismissed Nisanka in the 20th over after he had scored 45 runs. Indian bowlers once again struggled for wickets as Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis batted well for the 2nd wicket.
Riyan Parag was finally able to get rid of Avishka at a score of 96; he missed his well-deserved century by just 4 runs. Riyan was the golden arm for India as he picked up 3 quick wickets, leaving Sri Lanka at 203-6 after 44 overs. They managed to score 248, thanks to a cameo of 23 runs from the bat of Kamindu Mendis towards the end of the innings.
India Collapse in Powerplay
Chasing 248 was never going to be easy for the Indian team, and a similar thing happened. India lost 3 wickets in the powerplay. Shubman Gill, Rohit, and Rishabh Pant were all back in the pavilion, and India was 67-3. Rohit made a quickfire 35 but threw his wicket away afterward. After the powerplay, it was all Lanka’s show as Virat, Axar, and Iyer got out in the next 3 overs, leaving India at 82-6.
None of the Indian batters got any momentum, and India was bowled out for 138, falling into the spin trap once again. Dunith Wellalage was the master of the trap as he picked up 5 for 27. Theekshana and Vandersay also picked up 2 wickets each. They defeated India by a solid margin of 110 runs and won the series 2-0. Avishka Fernando was adjudged the Player of the Series for his batting performances throughout the series.
