India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI was yet another thriller between the two Asian Giants. Sri Lanka beat India by 32 runs in an exciting match. Sri Lanka scored 240 for 9, and India only managed 208.
Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat. It was a trickier than average pitch to bowl on, especially for the spinners.
They did not bowl them faster, but they bowled in a way that got the ball to stop grip and turn. Sri Lanka was already six wickets down for less than 150 when Dunith Wellalage played this solid innings. He scored at pace, more than a run per ball and propped up his side to what was not such an awful total for the R Premadasa Stadium.
Strong start by India
India started their chase with Rohit Sharma playing brilliantly. He scored a fast half-century and put India in a good position. But then, India collapsed against Sri Lanka’s spinners. By the time they reached 140 runs, half of their team was out.
This was the first ODI on Friday, and two days later, similar things happened. Sri Lanka was really eager to win, especially since they had tied the last T20I and lost the Super Over to India. They had also tied the first ODI.
The man who was not even meant to be in the squad, Jeffrey Vandersay ended up being Sri Lanka’s hero today. He played his first one-day-international in December 2015 and before this match had only turned out for Sri Lanka on 22 occasions. In today’s match he was the designated main man for Sri Lanka. Jeffrey Vandersay six wickets played a crucial role in Sri Lanks’s win over India.
Star for Sri Lanka, Jeffrey Vandersay
He then played his first match because Wanindu Hasaranga was injured. In 29 balls, Vandersay picked the six wickets of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Shivam Dube (1), Virat Kohli (19 off 17 balls), Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. He was the one who reduced India from 97 for no loss to 147 for six.
It was the same from India on Friday, but this time they couldn’t claw it back. Axar Patel stitched a 38-runstand for the seventh wicket with Washington Sundar to take India closer.. But by now, Vandersay had done nearly all his work for the morning. In a time where it seemed India would take control, Charith Asalanka intervened. He had picked up three wickets with his part-time offspin on Friday, and now he struck twice in two overs to remove Axar and Washington. This sealed the deal for Sri Lanka.
This win was Sri Lanka’s first ODI victory over India since July 2021. They had lost six matches in a row to India before this. Vandersay’s 6 for 33 was a remarkable achievement. He became the fifth Sri Lankan bowler to take six or more wickets in an ODI against India, following legends like Muthiah Muralidaran, Ajantha Mendis, Angelo Mathews, and Akila Dananjaya.
Sri Lanka played lot of spinners for this competition and it turned out to be benefiting them. Kamindu Mendis was brought in for seamer Mohamed Shiraz, and they had five spin options. Kamindu also got 40 with the bat, Kamindu partnered with Wellalage in a vital seventh-wicket stand of 72. This helped Sri Lanka recover from 136 for 6.
When India’s chase began, it didn’t look like picking so many spinners was a good idea. Wellalage, Dananjaya, and Kamindu struggled with their control, and Rohit took full advantage of this. India raced to 76 for no loss in the first ten overs, with Rohit scoring 51 runs off just 29 balls. He brought up his half-century with a six over cover off Kamindu in the 10th over.
Rohit had moved to 64 off 43 balls when he got out. Vandersay got extra bounce, and Rohit’s switch-sweep ended up in the hands of the diving Pathum Nissanka at backward point. This was the breakthrough Sri Lanka needed.
This was another strong start by the Indian Captain Rohit Sharma, as he brought his half century in 29 balls
Vandersay then took control of the game. He got Shubman Gill to top-edge a cover drive and KL Rahul to bottom-edge one onto his stumps. He kept attacking the stumps, and his natural variation off the surface tested both edges of the bat. Kohli and Iyer were both out lbw to balls that hurried on with the angle, and Dube was out lbw to one that kept low and turned in.
India found themselves in big trouble. Axar and Washington tried to hold on, but Asalanka got Axar out with a caught and bowled, and Washington was lbw to another delivery from Asalanka that went with the arm. This was India’s fourth lbw of the innings, and they also had one bowled out.
India’s spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar, had bowled well, taking back-to-back wicket maidens in the 34th and 35th overs of Sri Lanka’s innings. This left Sri Lanka at 136 for 6, and it seemed like India would be chasing a small target.
But Sri Lanka fought back. Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis had put on a 74-run partnership for the second wicket after Mohammed Siraj had started the match by getting Nissanka out with a perfect outswinger. Sri Lanka lost five wickets for 62 runs after that, but Kamindu and Wellalage helped them recover.
Wellalage played with freedom and a bit of luck, hitting a couple of mis-hit sixes that just cleared the fielders. He also played some sweet shots, like a drive over the wide long-off boundary off Siraj. Kamindu supported him well, scoring 26 off 35 balls, while Wellalage made 39 off 33.
In the end, the fast bowlers returned, and Kamindu and Dananjaya gave Sri Lanka the finish they needed. They added 31 runs off 22 balls. Dananjaya hit Siraj for a four in the 49th over, and Siraj responded with a bouncer and some words.
India’s spinners combined for 6 for 112 in 31 overs, while their seamers ended up with 1 for 111 from 19 overs. Sri Lanka’s decision to pick more spinners paid off, and it had a massive influence on the result.
So, Sri Lanka won by 32 runs, and it was a great team effort with Vandersay as the standout player.
Read More, Hasaranga and Asalanka Shine in Sri Lanka vs India ODI Tie: Sri Lanka vs India 1st ODI
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