Home
Team India suffered a humiliating 110-run defeat in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka, marking a disappointing end to the series. The Islanders clinched the series 2-0, their first bilateral ODI series win over India since 1997.
Sri Lanka upset India in 3rd ODI, win series 2-0
Sri Lanka's spinners, led by a sensational spell from Dunith Wellalage who claimed five wickets for just 27 runs, completely dismantled the Indian batting lineup. Chasing a modest target of 249, India were bowled out for a paltry 138 runs in 26.1 overs. The defeat raises serious questions about the team's performance and will undoubtedly prompt a thorough review by the newly appointed head coach, Gautam Gambhir.
Meanwhile, India skipper Rohit Sharma, who continued his batting blitz in the third ODI with 30-ball 45, is undeterred by India's series loss as he said that it's not end of the world for the Men in Blue. He exuded confidence on his teammates and stated that the guys have played very well over the past few years. However, in the same breath Rohit also admitted that the team needs to go back and figure out what needs to be done.
'I don't think it's (playing spin) a concern, but it's something we need to look at seriously, our individual gameplans, and it's something we were definitely put under pressure with in this series. [Complacency after winning the T20 World Cup:] No, it's a joke. When you're playing for India, there's no complacency. We have to give credit where credit is due, Sri Lanka played better than us. We looked at the conditions, wanted to take pace off the ball, and that's why we went with our combination. All in all we didn't play good cricket through the series, and that is why we stand here," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
The Indian batting unit was completely outplayed by Sri Lanka's spinners, with Dunith Wellalage proving to be particularly devastating. He claimed the crucial wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (20), Shreyas Iyer (8), and Axar Patel (2) in his first spell and returned to complete a five-wicket haul. The highest partnership for India came between Washington Sundar (30) and Kuldeep Yadav (6), which highlights the overall struggle faced by the batting lineup.
"Throughout there were a few positives too. How the spinners bowled, some of the batters in the middle as well. We lost the series, and I feel there are a lot of areas we need to look at rather than the positives. We need to go back and look at what we need to do when we come up against conditions like this. Series lost doesn't mean the end of the world. These guys have been playing very well over the past few years, very consistent, you will lose the odd series," Rohit concluded.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
