Chasing under lights proved to be India’s Achilles’ heel once again, as they fell short by a significant margin of 110 runs in the third and final One Day International (ODI). This defeat culminated in a decisive 2-0 series loss, marking Sri Lanka’s first ODI series win over India since 1997. This victory is even more monumental considering Sri Lanka’s recent failure to qualify for the upcoming Champions Trophy, showcasing a significant resurgence in their form.
The tone was set early in the match when Sri Lanka, winning the toss, elected to bat first. They managed to put a formidable total of 248 runs on the board, largely thanks to a stellar performance by Avishka Fernando, who scored a commendable 96 runs. This target was the highest India had been set in the series, having previously failed to chase scores of 231 and 241 in the first two ODIs. The dry and abrasive pitch only added to the difficulty of the task at hand.
India’s chase began with a promising start courtesy of Rohit Sharma, who once again blazed through the initial overs. However, the story was different for Virat Kohli, who had a dismal performance, marking his worst ever bilateral series against Sri Lanka. This collective pressure contributed to India’s rapid downfall, losing six wickets inside the first 13 overs. The primary architect of their downfall was Dunith Wellalage, whose left-arm orthodox spin proved too challenging for the Indian batsmen to handle.
Wellalage was instrumental, picking four of the first six Indian wickets to fall. After Shubman Gill was bowled by Asitha Fernando, Wellalage sprung into action. He dismissed Rohit Sharma with an away-spinning delivery and then trapped Virat Kohli in front with an arm-ball. He continued his assault in his next over by bowling Axar Patel and trapping Shreyas Iyer lbw. These efforts contributed significantly to India losing 24 wickets to spin across the three matches, the most they have ever lost in a bilateral ODI series. By the end of the series, the tally stood at 27 wickets lost to spin, setting a record for the most by any team in a bilateral ODI series limited to three matches.
At 92/6, India still had hopes with Shivam Dube and debutant Riyan Parag at the crease. Parag’s inclusion was aimed at strengthening the middle order at the expense of pacer Arshdeep Singh.
. While Parag managed to pick three wickets in Sri Lanka’s innings, his batting didn’t live up to expectations as he was clean bowled by Jeffrey Vandersay after misjudging a legbreak. The other change in the Indian lineup saw Rishabh Pant replacing KL Rahul, but this substitution did little to alter the final outcome.
Wellalage, who had also contributed with the bat in the first two ODIs, claimed his fifth wicket by dismissing Kuldeep Yadav, thereby delivering a crushing defeat to India, who were bowled out for just 138 runs in 26.1 overs. Nine out of the ten wickets fell to spin, with Wellalage becoming the first spinner to take a five-wicket haul against India on more than one occasion.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka’s innings began steadily with openers Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando setting up a solid start with an 89-run partnership. Nissanka was the aggressor initially, hitting four boundaries in the first couple of overs bowled by Mohammed Siraj, who was India’s lone frontline pacer in this match.
Axar Patel managed to break the opening stand by dismissing Nissanka with a top-edged slog-sweep in the 20th over. However, Fernando continued to anchor the innings, playing an attractive knock that highlighted his skill against spin after a cautious start against the seamers. Fernando’s aggressive approach during Siraj’s second spell, which included a boundary and two sixes in five balls, hinted at a potential century. However, he was eventually ousted by Riyan Parag, who claimed his first ODI wicket with a legbreak.
Parag later added the wicket of Charith Asalanka (lbw), triggering a mini-collapse from Sri Lanka, who tumbled from a strong 171/1 to 199/6 as Washington Sundar and Siraj also contributed with critical wickets. Parag ended his debut with three wickets, further dismissing Wellalage, helping India dominate the latter half of the middle overs. Yet, as seen in the previous ODIs, Sri Lanka found a finisher in Kusal Mendis. The No. 3 batter scored a resilient fifty off 77 balls, guiding his team to add 31 crucial runs in the last three overs, setting a strong total on a challenging pitch.
Ultimately, this total proved unattainable for India, giving Sri Lanka a memorable and historic series win, along with consecutive ODI victories over India for the first time since August 2010.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 248/7 (Fernando 96, Mendis 59, Nissanka 45; Parag 3-54) beat India 138 in 26.1 overs (Rohit 35; Wellalage 5-27, Vandersay 2-34) by 110 runs.