Colombo. After half-centuries from Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis, Sri Lanka defeated India by 110 runs in the third and final ODI on Wednesday with the claw strike of Dunith Velalage and won the series 2-0. After the first match was tied, Sri Lanka won the second match by 32 runs. Sri Lanka has won its first bilateral ODI series against India since 1997. Chasing Sri Lanka’s target of 249 runs on the pitch of R Premadasa Stadium, the Indian team collapsed for 138 runs in 26.1 overs. Captain Rohit Sharma scored the highest 35 runs for India. Apart from him, only Washington Sundar (30) and Virat Kohli (20) could reach double figures. For Sri Lanka, Velalage took five wickets for 27 runs.
However, Rohit returned to the pavilion after playing one of his favourite shots, the sweep. He got caught by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis while trying to sweep Velalage’s ball. After Rohit’s dismissal, it did not take much time for the Indian innings to end. Rishabh Pant, who was playing his first ODI after the accident, got stumped by Kusal Mendis while trying to play Teeksha’s ball by moving forward.
After the match, Rohit Sharma said, ‘I don’t think spin bowling is a worrying aspect for us but we have to look into it individually. When you play for India, there is no question of being careless. You have to appreciate good cricket. Sri Lanka played better than us. Overall, we have lost the series. However, losing the series does not mean that everything is over. These are the players who have been performing brilliantly for the last few years.’
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 7, 2024, 22:06 IST
