Sri Lanka achieved a significant milestone in their cricketing history after clinching a historic 2-0 series win against India in the One Day International (ODI) series. This monumental victory marks Sri Lanka’s first series triumph over India in the 50-over format since 1997. This achievement comes on the heels of the team’s recent failure to secure a spot in the upcoming Champions Trophy, making this win all the more noteworthy.
The third and final ODI saw Sri Lanka clinch a convincing 110-run victory under the lights, a scenario that once again posed as India’s Achilles’ heel. This defeat underscored India’s continuing struggle with chasing under challenging conditions. Sri Lanka’s win, however, may be attributed not only to superb individual performances but also to strategic, coherent team play.
Chasing a target of 248, set by Sri Lanka after a toss win, India faced an uphill battle. Previous matches had seen India struggle with smaller targets of 231 and 241. Avishka Fernando paved the way for Sri Lanka with a standout innings of 96 runs, which established a commanding score despite the pitch’s dry and abrasive nature.
India’s innings started on a positive note with Rohit Sharma looking in good touch, but the departure of Virat Kohli early on added pressure. Kohli’s series against Sri Lanka turned out to be his worst ever performance, compounding India’s misery. As a cascade of wickets fell, India seemed unable to handle the spinning and skidding deliveries, losing six wickets within the initial 13 overs.
Dunith Wellalage emerged as the star for Sri Lanka, taking the spotlight with his left-arm orthodox spin. Wellalage dismantled the Indian batting lineup, starting with Rohit Sharma, whom he deceived with an away-spinning delivery. Kohli fell to his arm-ball, and with two additional wickets in his subsequent over, Wellalage’s spell turned the tide firmly in Sri Lanka’s favor. Shubman Gill was earlier sent back by Asitha Fernando, but it was Wellalage’s magical spell that had India reeling at 92/6. Wellalage’s figures epitomized India’s struggle against spin, with the team losing a staggering 27 wickets to spin across the series, the highest for any team in a three-match bilateral ODI series.
Despite India’s dire situation, there was a glimmer of hope with Shivam Dube and debutant Riyan Parag at the crease.
. Parag’s inclusion, aimed at bolstering the middle order, fell short as he misjudged a legbreak from Jeffrey Vandersay and was bowled out. The decision to bring in left-handed Rishabh Pant for KL Rahul did little to change India’s fate. Wellalage sealed India’s defeat by claiming his fifth wicket, as the team crumbled to 138 in just 26.1 overs.
Earlier in the day, the Sri Lankan openers Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando provided a strong foundation with an 89-run partnership. Nissanka took the aggressive route early on, but it was Axar Patel who eventually broke the stand by dismissing Nissanka with a top-edged slog-sweep. Fernando continued to anchor the innings with a polished 96, particularly impressive against India’s spinners. A brief resurgence by India during the middle overs seemed to threaten Sri Lanka’s total as Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj managed to get vital breakthroughs post-Parag’s effective bowling stint.
Riyan Parag, while disappointing with the bat, made his mark as a bowler with crucial wickets, including that of the well-set Fernando. His spell induced a mini-collapse, taking Sri Lanka from a commanding 171/1 to 199/6. However, Kusal Mendis came to the rescue in the final overs, scoring a pivotal half-century. Mendis’ efforts ensured that Sri Lanka posted a formidable 248/7, adding 31 runs in the final three overs, setting a challenging target that India could not meet.
Sri Lanka’s comprehensive win not only gave them a series victory but also marked back-to-back ODI victories over India for the first time since August 2010. The win will likely boost the team’s confidence and set a positive tone for their future engagements. This series triumph underscores the potential within the Sri Lankan cricket team and signals a significant moment of resurgence and hope for the team’s supporters.
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.