The 27-year-long streak is in danger. Sri Lanka have India on the mat and how? By running through their batting order twice in two matches. India are down 0-1 and staring at a rare bilateral series defeat. In both the games, they crumbled after a good start, tying the first one and losing the second by 32 runs. What makes this alarming is that this Indian team isn’t even a second-string line-up. It’s a full-strength squad with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul in the XI.
Given the nature of the defeat, not many gave Sri Lanka a chance given how India ran roughshod over them in the last two ODIs, bowling them out for 50 in the Asia Cup final and for 55 at the 2023 World Cup. Barring Rohit Sharma and Axar Patel, India’s batting order cuts a sorry figure, and questionable experiments such as promoting Shivam Dube at 4 and Axar over Rahul are backfiring. However, it’s the batters’ inability to apply themselves that’s hurting India more than anything else, and this is when Sri Lanka were without Matheesha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga.
“Was it a shock? I would say yes, there is a surprise. But you anticipate and understand that in these conditions the game can turn on its head because there is so much spin on offer. Even if you look at the last game, it was relatively easy to score against the new ball. As the ball got older, the conditions when batting second got slightly tougher. Sometimes in tough conditions, especially in the 50-over format, this happens,” India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said during the post-match press conference.
“We want to go back and understand, and rectify, why it happened twice in a row. The day before yesterday, we were able to stitch partnerships. But today we lost quite a few wickets in a bundle.”
Where was India’s fight?
If in the first ODI, it was the collective efforts of Wanindu Hasaranga and Charith Asalanka that spoiled India’s party, on Sunday it was Jeffrey Vandersay. The leg-spinner finished with 6/33 – the third best bowling figures by a Sri Lankan spinner against India in ODIs – including the top four and Rahul and Shreyas Iyer in the middle as the Men in Blue were bowled out for 208 in their chase of 240.
India lacked the fighting spirit that they displayed in the first ODI – where they slightly recovered from 136/5 following a crucial partnership between Rahul and Axar. Sunday felt like more of a meek surrender, but Nayar said when the conditions are such, one should expect the unexpected.
“They bowled well – I think Vandersay bowled the ideal length in these conditions. In such conditions, when the ball is turning – and the way Vandersay bowled today, used his finger, and bowled stump to stump – you get these phases when there is assistance from the pitch. I feel today we should give more credit to Sri Lanka,” he added.