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Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team suffered an embarrassing 32-run loss against Charith Asalanka's Sri Lanka in the 2nd ODI of the three-match series at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, on August 4 (Sunday). The hosts batting first scored 240/9 but it turned out enough for the Men in Blue side as they got out on the paltry score of 208 runs. This win has put Sri Lanka in 1-0 lead after the first game ended in a tie. This is also the first loss for India in Gautam Gambhir's tenure as the Indian head coach. With this loss, India's streak of 11 consecutive bilateral series (2+ matches) wins in ODIs against Sri Lanka has come to an end. The last time the Men in Blue failed to win a bilateral rubber against Sri Lanka was back in December 1997.
Sri Lanka posts 240/9
The hosts once again were off to a bumpy start as they lost their first wicket on the first ball. However, the 74-run partnership between Avishka Fernando (40 off 62 balls) and Kusal Mendis (30 off 42 balls) revived their innings. Then they again lost wickets on regular intervals but managed to post a fighting total of 240 runs, which later turned out enough for a comfortable win. Washington Sundar was the pick of the bowler for India as he grabbed 3 wickets in his 10-over spell and he got support from Kuldeep Yadav who grabbed two wickets. Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel got one wicket each.
Rohit Sharma's onslaught
On a pitch, where other Indian batters were finding it hard to score, Indian captain Rohit Sharma was smashing the Lankan bowlers all over the ground. He helped India score 76 runs in the powerplay itself. He scored 64 runs off just 44 balls and after his dismissal, Indian batting collapsed once again. Apart from him only Axar could score a valiant 44 off 44 balls.
Jeffrey Vandersay's magical spell
Jeffrey Vandersay became a spin wizard and threw India on the backfoot. He dismissed the top 6 of the Men in Blue line-up in the span of 50 runs. His six wickets were the major reason for the collapse of Team India. He became the first spinner to take the first six wickets of an opposition team's batting order in the 50-over format. He also became the second only wrist spinner after Saqlain Mushtaq to pick up a five-wicket haul against India in the ODI format. He got the support from captain Asalanka who once again played a stunning cameo with the ball. He once again took a three-fer. With this they are now leading the series 1-0 and have the opportunity to win the series after winning the final ODI as well.
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