Colombo: Jeffrey Vandersay’s impressive six-wicket haul, coupled with a resilient batting performance from Dunith Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis, propelled Sri Lanka to a 32-run victory over India in the second match of the three-match ODI series at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
This win gives Sri Lanka a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and ends India’s streak of 11 consecutive bilateral ODI series wins against Sri Lanka, a run dating back to December 1997.
Rohit Sharma started aggressively, reaching his fifty off just 29 balls, his fourth half-century within the first 10 overs of an ODI. Alongside Shubman Gill, Rohit added 97 runs for the first wicket, hitting five fours and four sixes, significantly reducing the target. However, after Rohit fell to a reverse sweep, India experienced a massive collapse, losing six wickets for just 50 runs.
The collapse began with Gill and Shivam Dube falling in the same over, the former to a stunning one-handed catch by Mendis in the slips and the latter trapped lbw by a leg break. Ten balls later, Virat Kohli was also pinned lbw by a flipper, marking the first time the veteran batter had fallen lbw to a spinner in consecutive innings.
Vandersay secured his maiden five-wicket haul by trapping Shreyas Iyer with a googly, making him only the second leg-spinner to take five wickets against India in ODIs. Vandersay’s final wicket was KL Rahul, who chopped on, finishing with impressive figures of 6 for 33.
Washington Sundar and Axar Patel attempted to stabilize the innings with a 38-run partnership. However, Charith Asalanka dismissed both batsmen in consecutive overs, effectively sealing the match for his side. India were bowled out for 208 in 42.2 overs, losing nine wickets to spin.
Earlier, Washington Sundar’s three-wicket haul, along with Kuldeep Yadav’s crucial spell, helped India restrict Sri Lanka to 240/9.
Sri Lanka’s innings started with a setback as Siraj dismissed Nissanka with the first ball. Avishka and Mendis then stabilized the innings with a 74-run stand for the second wicket. However, the spin trio of Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav put India back in control by taking the next five wickets for just 62 runs. This collapse left Sri Lanka struggling at 136/6.
Sri Lankan team recovered after Wellalage and Kamindu, added 72 valuable runs for the seventh wicket. Dananjaya also contributed a crucial 15 runs as Sri Lanka managed to reach a total of 240, a competitive score given the circumstances.
Earlier, Sri Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to bat first against the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side in the second ODI at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Team India captain Rohit Sharma at the toss said, “It’s okay (on having to chase again), we know what to expect when we chase. It has to be. You cannot always go and play with the same mindset and same way. You got to adapt to the conditions and then play freely. That’s the most important thing we want to do as a team. Same XI. Not really worried we didn’t pull off the last game. Both teams played well, result not going in favour was fair for that game.”
After winning the toss Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka said, “We will bat first. I think so, it’s looks similar to the other day. Not much as a different as a captain for this game. Kamindu and Vandersay come in for Hasaranga and Shiraz.”
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay
