Skipper Rohit Sharma played on a different ‘track’ from his teammates, who were thoroughly exposed against quality spin bowling, as Sri Lanka eked out a nail-biting tie against India in a low-scoring first ODI in Colombo on Friday.
In a chase of 231, Rohit smashed 58 off 47 balls on a rank turner with variable bounce, taking his team to 71 in 10 overs, but the other batters never looked comfortable against an army of Lankan spinners, as skipper Charith Asalanka got wickets off back-to-back deliveries to play his part in the 44th tie in ODI cricket.
When Shivam Dube (25) hit two sixes and a boundary through extra cover to tie the scores, it seemed like Sri Lanka’s woes would continue. But Asalanka took it upon himself to earn a psychological win for the home team.
Rohit didn’t look one bit rusty during his destructive half-century but the Indian middle-order stuttered badly, showing their ineptitude against slow bowlers.
After the Indian bowling unit collectively put up a good show on a turner, restricting Sri Lanka to 230 for 8, Rohit’s 58 gave India a destructive start.
Things went into a downward spiral after that as Sri Lanka’s battery of spinners, led by Wanindu Hasaranga (3/58 in 10 overs), Akila Dananjaya (/140 in 10 overs), Dunith Wellalage (2/39 in 8 overs) and skipper Charith Asalanka (3/30 in 8.5 overs), not only choked the run flow but also got breakthroughs when necessary.
KL Rahul (31 off 43 balls) seemed to once again play his natural waiting game that has always proved to be detrimental to the team’s cause. By the time he threw away his wicket, he couldn’t ensure a decisive turnaround.
Virat Kohli (23), Shreyas Iyer (24) and Axar Patel (33) all got starts but couldn’t capitalise.
While Shubman Gill (16) struggled at the other end, Rohit treated the Lankan bowlers with disdain. Once he was adjudged leg-before, trying a slog sweep off Dananjaya, suddenly the pitch, which looked easy to bat on, started showing its vagaries.
The ball started turning a wee bit more and the variable bounce also created confusion. Kohli got a skidder and was plumb in front while Washington Sundar (5) got one that Dananjaya fired in with an angle. Iyer didn’t look bad in his short innings before an in-cutter from Fernando breached his defence
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s top-order crumbled against some accurate bowling by the visitors. Fighting fifties by Pathum Nissanka and Dunith Wellalage carried them to a fighting total.
Nissanka (56, 75b, 9×4) was a picture of concentration and Wellalage (67 not out, 65b, 7×4, 2×6) of confidence on a pitch that offered some turn after Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka opted to bat first, but several of their colleagues were unwilling to mimic them.
Lanka had a shaky start to their innings when Mohammed Siraj ousted Avishka Fernando but Nissanka and Kusal Mendis (14) added 39 runs for a steady second wicket as the hosts staged a mini-recovery.
Just as it happened in the preceding T20I series, the Islanders showed the propensity to throw their wickets away from that point.
This is not to undermine the excellent effort put in by the Indian bowlers, who elicited several false shots from the Lankan batters.
Mendis fell leg before to Shivam Dube, who made his return to one-day cricket after a hiatus of five years with that scalp.
From a relatively comfortable 46 for two, the Lankan innings soon crash-landed to 101 for five in the 27th over.
Sadeera Samarawickrama, Lanka’s best batter in ODIs for a while now, was never really able to read the spinners during his painful eight off 18 balls.
His dismissal underlined that point. The right-hander looked to push left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2/33) on the front foot but was too early into his shot, eventually chipping the ball to Shubman Gill at short cover.
Asalanka helped Nissanka to raise 31 runs for the fourth wicket but Kuldeep Yadav’s stock ball did him in. The left-hander guided the ball that spun away from him to his counterpart Rohit Sharma at first slip.
Amidst the constant turbulence at the other end, Nissanka stood like a rock and played a few delectable shots like a well-connected loft off Kuldeep Yadav to long-off for a boundary.
But Washington Sundar, who bowled his off-spin beautifully without much luck, finally managed to enter the wicket-takers’ list and he caught the big fish too.
A delivery that spun in from the off-stump trapped Nissanka in front of the wicket to reduce Lanka to 101 for five.
Wellalage and Janith Liyanage (20) added 41 runs off 43 balls for the sixth wicket to show some positive intent despite often failing to pick the Indian spinners.
Rohit’s inexplicable call to give an over to Gill for his dibbly-dobbly spin too added to the pair’s growing comfort, as Liyanage pulled a short-pitched ball for a six.
But a perplexing decision by Liyanage to walk off without taking the DRS ended the alliance.
The right-hander stepped out to whack Axar but the sharply-turned ball ended in the hands of Rohit at first slip.
There was a massive appeal from the Indians, and Liyanage trudged off the field, forcing the on-field umpire to raise his finger. It was clear from the replays that the ball did not take any edge off the bat.
From there, Wellalage and Wanindu Hasaranga (24, 35b, 1×4, 2×6) batted with purpose that some of their top-order comrades lacked, milking 36 runs for the seventh wicket.
Wellalage was quite impressive after his initial struggles against Kuldeep. The crunchy backfoot punch through the covers for four off Washington and a few other ramps and scoops testified the youngster’s potential.
The left-hander, who added another 46 with Akila Dhananjaya for the eighth wicket, brought up his maiden ODI fifty in 59 balls, also assisting his side to go past the 200-run mark that once appeared far away.
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