In the Asia Cup Super 4 match on September 12 (Tuesday), India witnessed a historic low against Sri Lanka's deadly spinners at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Bowled out for a modest 213, Team India experienced an early wrap up, failing to utilize the complete 50 overs. The dual prowess of Dunith Wellalage and Charith Asalanka proved lethal for the Indian batsmen, marking the first instance where all the Indian wickets fell to spin.
Star Sports brought the expertise of former cricketing icons, Marvan Atapattu and Sanjay Manjrekar, into the discussion to delve into the game's turning points. The duo dissected Indian captain Rohit Sharma's dismissal, agreeing that Sharma was somewhat unlucky. Sharma stood as a beacon amidst the collapse, registering the only fifty for the Indian side that day. His exit came when a delivery by Wellalage kept surprisingly low, taking an unexpected trajectory to the stumps.
"I am lost for words. I feel for him, feel very sorry for him. Any batsman around the world would have played the shot the same way," said Marvan Attapatu on Rohit Sharma's dismissal.
Yet, Manjrekar lauded the Sri Lankan young gun Wellalage for his commendable length, which caught the Indian captain off-guard and in an uncharacteristic position.
"Huge fan of the length. The young man has bowled a length where Rohit Sharma was not ready to make a commitment - neither on the frontfoot, neither on the backfoot, and that's when you want the ball to come easily off the pitch. Unfortunately for him, the ball kept low but you have got to credit the bowler than find faults with the batter," Manjrekar said on Rohit Sharma's dismissal.
Despite the tough pitch conditions, the silver lining for India was Rohit Sharma's personal achievement. Not only did he score his third consecutive half-century, but he also crossed the significant milestone of 10,000 ODI runs as a batter. Other notable contributors for the Indian innings included KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and Axar Patel, who tried to stabilize the innings amidst the spin assault.
In summary, the match stood as a testament to Sri Lanka's spinning might, leaving the Indian batsmen in a whirlwind of challenges. As the cricketing community takes away key lessons and moments from the game, Sharma's stellar milestones and Sri Lanka's spin mastery will certainly be at the forefront.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Rohit Sharma becomes first Indian batter with 5,000 partnership runs with two batters in ODIs
IND vs SL: Rohit Sharma-Shubman Gill partnership becomes fastest to 1,000 ODI runs for India; here's the full list
