2nd ODI
Jeffrey Vandersay’s six wicket haul has helped Sri Lanka to take a 1-0 lead against India
Sri Lanka scored 240/9 in 50 overs, where as India scored 208 all out in 42.2 overs.
So, finally Sri Lanka beat India by 32 runs.
Jeffrey Vandersay’s six-wicket haul and a batting rearguard from Dunith Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis helped Sri Lanka beat India by 32 runs in the second ODI, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
This defeat ends India’s sequence of 11 consecutive bilateral ODI series wins (2+ matches) against Sri Lanka, their last loss dating back to December 1997.
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka were struggling at 136/6 when Wellalage and Mendis added 72 runs for the seventh wicket, lifting the team to a competitive total of 240/9 on another slow, low pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, marking the 150th ODI at the venue.
India, who had previously struggled to chase a target of 231, faced an additional 10 runs on an even slower pitch this time.
Rohit Sharma came out aggressively, scoring a 29-ball fifty, his fourth inside the first 10 overs of an ODI.
Along with Shubman Gill, Rohit added 97 runs for the first wicket, hitting 5 fours and 4 sixes, significantly reducing the target.
However, once Rohit fell to a reverse sweep, India experienced a massive collapse, losing six wickets for 50 runs.
All six wickets were claimed by Vandersay, marking the first instance of the first six wickets in an ODI falling to a spinner.
Gill and Shivam Dube were dismissed in the same over, with Gill falling to a one-handed catch by Mendis in the slips, and Dube trapped lbw by a legbreak.
Ten balls later, Virat Kohli was also pinned in front by a flipper, the first time he had fallen lbw to a spinner in consecutive innings.
Vandersay completed his maiden five-wicket haul by trapping Shreyas Iyer with a googly, becoming only the second leg-spinner to pick five wickets against India in ODIs.
He then picked his sixth wicket when KL Rahul chopped on, finishing with figures of 6 for 33.
Washington Sundar and Axar Patel then steadied India with a 38-run stand, but Charith Asalanka dismissed both in consecutive overs, effectively sealing the match for Sri Lanka.
India were bowled out for 208 in 42.2 overs, losing nine wickets to spin.
Earlier, Sri Lanka lost the in-form Pathum Nissanka off the first ball to an outswinger from Mohammed Siraj.
Avishka Fernando (40) and Kusal Mendis (30) then added 74 runs for the second wicket, cautiously navigating Siraj’s opening spell.
The partnership was broken by Washington Sundar, who dismissed Fernando with a leading edge, and followed up with Mendis’s wicket in his next over, leaving Sri Lanka in recovery mode.
Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka struggled against the Indian spinners and were both dismissed by them.
Samarawickrama mistimed a slog against Axar Patel, and Asalanka was caught off-guard by a turning delivery, offering a catch to short third man.
Kuldeep Yadav, introduced in the 20th over, bowled a miserly spell and was rewarded with the wicket of Janith Liyanage.
At 136/6 after 35 overs, Sri Lanka found unlikely heroes in Wellalage (39) and Kamindu Mendis (40), who frustrated India and pushed the total past 200.
Mendis was dropped on 11 by Shivam Dube, which proved costly.
Wellalage hit a few boundaries, including a four and six off Axar in the 44th over and a six off Siraj in the next.
He was eventually caught by Dube, but not before causing significant damage to India.
Mendis was run out off the penultimate ball of the innings due to a sharp effort from Shreyas Iyer.
Mendis and Akila Dananjaya managed a few boundaries in the final overs, with 79 runs scored in the last 10 overs.
The seamers bowled 19 overs for 111/1, overshadowing the spinners’ effort of 112/6 in 31 overs.
The extra runs conceded ultimately hurt the visitors.
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