Chasing under lights continued to be a significant challenge for India, proving once again to be their Achilles’ heel, as they succumbed to a 110-run defeat in the third and final One Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka. This defeat culminated in a 2-0 series loss, marking Sri Lanka’s first series triumph over India in the 50-over format since 1997. This victory was a monumental achievement for Sri Lankan cricket, especially considering their recent failure to qualify for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
The game commenced with Sri Lanka winning the toss and confidently putting 248 runs on the board. This was largely thanks to a commanding performance from Avishka Fernando, who scored an impressive 96. India’s track record in the series had already been shaky, having failed to chase targets of 231 and 241 in the first two ODIs. Thus, being set a series-high target on a dry, abrasive pitch was always going to be a tough challenge for the Indian squad.
Indian opener Rohit Sharma offered a brief glimmer of hope with his aggressive performance at the start. However, Virat Kohli’s continued poor form, marked by another low score, compounded India’s troubles. This series has been Kohli’s worst performance in a bilateral series against Sri Lanka, contributing significantly to India’s quick collapse. The Indian side lost six wickets within the first 13 overs, crumbling against the Sri Lankan spin and skidding deliveries.
Dunith Wellalage was the star for Sri Lanka with his left-arm orthodox spin, dismantling the Indian batting lineup by claiming four of the first six wickets. After Shubman Gill was bowled out by Asitha Fernando, Wellalage put on a show. He first outsmarted Rohit Sharma with an away-spinning delivery and then trapped Virat Kohli in front with an arm-ball. Wellalage continued his dominance by bowling out Axar Patel and trapping Shreyas Iyer lbw in his next over. By the time Iyer was dismissed, India had succumbed to spin 24 times over the three-match series, a record for them in bilateral ODIs. The series finished with India losing 27 wickets to spin, the highest ever in a three-match bilateral ODI series.
At 92/6, India’s prospects were bleak. Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag were still at the crease, with Parag making his ODI debut. Parag managed to pick three wickets while bowling, but his contributions with the bat failed to make an impact, as he was bowled out by Jeffrey Vandersay due to a misjudged legbreak.
. Another strategic change for India involved bringing left-handed Rishabh Pant in for KL Rahul, but the change failed to make the desired impact. Adding to their woes, Wellalage picked his fifth wicket, dismissing Kuldeep Yadav and sealing a substantial defeat for India, who were bowled out for 138 in just 26.1 overs. Out of the nine wickets lost, eight fell to spin, emphasizing India’s struggle against spin throughout the series.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lankan openers Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando had given Sri Lanka a solid start with an 89-run partnership. Nissanka set the pace early on, hitting four boundaries in the first couple of overs bowled by India’s lone frontline pacer, Mohammed Siraj. Axar Patel eventually dismissed Nissanka with a top-edged slog-sweep in the 20th over, thereby breaking the opening stand. Fernando, however, continued his impressive run, scoring a half-century off 65 balls. His play against spin stood out after a cautious start against the pace attack. Fernando, showing no signs of slowing down, dispatched Siraj’s second spell for a boundary and a couple of sixes, making it appear as if he was heading for a century. However, he played back to a full legbreak from Parag and was bowled out, giving Parag his first ODI wicket.
Parag soon struck again, claiming the wicket of Charith Asalanka (lbw) and triggering a collapse in the Sri Lankan batting order, which saw them go from 171/1 to 199/6. Washington Sundar and Siraj contributed with crucial wickets in this phase. Despite the middle-order collapse, Sri Lanka found strength in the final overs, thanks to Kusal Mendis. Mendis reached his fifty off 77 balls, helping Sri Lanka to add 31 runs in the last three overs of their innings, anchoring them to a competitive total on a challenging surface.
In the end, the total proved insurmountable for the Indian batsmen, propelling Sri Lanka to not only a memorable series win but also their first back-to-back ODI victories over India since August 2010. This series win serves as a moment of glory for Sri Lankan cricket, putting them back on the map with a historic triumph that has been 27 years in the making.
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.