Indian captain Rohit Sharma made a surprise appearance as a bowler during the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo on August 4, Sunday. With Sri Lanka struggling at 147/6, Sharma introduced himself into the attack, hoping to exploit the left-handed batters. The former T20I captain bowled two economical overs, conceding just eleven runs.
Rohit Sharma: More Than Just a Batter
While Rohit Sharma's bowling appearances have been infrequent in recent times, he possesses a decent skillset with the ball. He has a hat-trick to his name in the IPL and has claimed a total of 11 international wickets across formats. This ODI series marks Rohit's return to international cricket since the 2023 World Cup. He made a strong comeback in the first match, scoring a half-century. The match ended in a tie, with both teams posting 230 runs.
Rohit Sharma's Bowling Surprise
Despite previously indicating that he would likely not bowl due to India's strong bowling lineup, Rohit Sharma surprised everyone by taking up the bowling reins in the second ODI against Sri Lanka.
Gambhir's Part-Time Bowling Experiment Continues
Gautam Gambhir's strategy of utilizing part-time bowlers in the Indian team is gaining momentum. Following the success of Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, Gambhir has encouraged Rohit Sharma to contribute with the ball in the ongoing ODI series. This move showcases the coach's belief in developing multi-faceted players within the team.
Talking about the match, Sri Lanka managed to set a target of 241 runs for India riding on Avishka Fernando and Kamindu Mendis' 40-run knocks. The Indian openers, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India a solid start before departing. While Rohit scored an impressive 64 off 44, Gill contributed with 35 off 44. As of 17.5 overs India are strongly placed at 116/3.
Sri Lanka ended up posting a modest target of 241 runs for India to chase. However, Jeffrey Vandersay ran riot with the ball and took six fer to demolish India as Sri Lanka won the match by 32 runs.
India's Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
Sri Lanka Playing XI:
Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay
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