In a thrilling culmination of the three-match ODI series, Sri Lanka ended a 27-year wait for a bilateral series triumph over India with a resounding 110-run victory in the final ODI. This momentous win not only sealed a 2-0 series outcome but marked Sri Lanka’s first series win against India in the 50-over format since 1997. The victory was particularly significant for the Sri Lankan team, especially after their failure to qualify for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
Facing a substantial challenge under the floodlights, India found their Achilles’ heel in chasing, struggling yet again to meet the target set by Sri Lanka. Batting first, Sri Lanka posted a competitive total of 248 runs, an effort spearheaded by Avishka Fernando’s resolute 96. Considering India’s previous failures to chase targets of 231 and 241 in the first two ODIs, the task of achieving 249 under such conditions was a daunting one.
Rohit Sharma’s aggressive start gave India a glimmer of hope, but Virat Kohli’s continued poor run in this series compounded India’s woes. Kohli’s struggles against Sri Lanka in this bilateral series were evident, contributing to a rapid Indian collapse against the spinning deliveries on a dry, abrasive surface. The Indian batting order crumbled dramatically, losing six wickets in the first 13 overs, exposing their vulnerability to spin.
Dunith Wellalage emerged as the tormentor-in-chief with his left-arm orthodox spin, taking four out of the first six Indian wickets. The trouble began when Shubman Gill was bowled by Asitha Fernando, paving the way for Wellalage to exploit India’s frailties. Rohit Sharma, attempting a slog-sweep, was outfoxed by an away-spinning delivery, and Kohli was pinned in front by an arm-ball. Wellalage added two more dismissals in his next over, bowling Axar Patel and trapping Shreyas Iyer lbw, leading to a catastrophic collapse where India lost a remarkable 24 wickets to spin over the three matches—a record in a bilateral ODI series of up to three games.
At 92/6, India’s fate seemed sealed, but Shivam Dube and debutant Riyan Parag faced an uphill task to revive their side. Parag, included to bolster the middle order, managed to take three wickets earlier but fell cheaply to Jeffrey Vandersay, his debut inning ending in disappointment. Not even the presence of left-handed Rishabh Pant, brought in place of KL Rahul, could change India’s fortunes.
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Wellalage continued his masterful display by picking up his fifth wicket, removing Kuldeep Yadav and leaving India tottering. India’s innings folded at 138 runs within just 26.1 overs, with nine of their wickets falling to spin. Wellalage, having already shown his batting prowess in the earlier games, became the first spinner to claim a five-wicket haul against India more than once.
Earlier in the day, the Sri Lankan innings began positively with openers Pathum Nissanka and Fernando constructing an 89-run partnership. Nissanka played the role of aggressor, setting the tone with four boundaries in the initial overs bowled by Mohammed Siraj, India’s sole frontline pacer in this game. Axar Patel eventually broke the opening stand, dismissing Nissanka with a top-edged slog-sweep in the 20th over.
Fernando, however, continued to stand firm, crafting an elegant half-century off 65 balls and countering the Indian spinners with finesse. His dismissal came when he misjudged a delivery from Parag, who took his first ODI wicket and soon followed it with the crucial wicket of Charith Asalanka, triggering a mini-collapse. Despite being at 171/1, Sri Lanka’s innings stuttered to 199/6, thanks to incisive spells from Washington Sundar and Siraj.
With the match delicately poised, Kusal Mendis stepped up, anchoring the innings with a composed fifty off 77 balls. Mendis ensured Sri Lanka added vital runs, scoring 31 in the final three overs to push their total to a daunting 248/7 on a challenging pitch.
The total proved ample as Sri Lanka’s spinners led by Wellalage wreaked havoc, allowing the team to secure a memorable series win. This victory also marked back-to-back ODI wins over India for the first time since August 2010.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 248/7 (Fernando 96, Mendis 59, Nissanka 45; Parag 3-54) defeated India 138 in 26.1 overs (Rohit 35; Wellalage 5-27, Vandersay 2-34) by 110 runs.