The Island Nation defeated India in their first bilateral ODI series victory in 27 years under the direction of interim head coach Sanath Jayasuriya. In the three-match series, Rohit Sharma and company lost 0–2 after the opening game ended in a stalemate.
India’s previous defeat in an ODI series versus Sri Lanka was in 1997. Remarkably, Jayasuriya was the Player of the Series in that year. This time, to the joy of the home crowd, the former captain of Sri Lanka masterminded the victory from the sidelines as his men entertained the crowd at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The three-match T20I series that came before the ODIs saw Sri Lanka completely destroyed. But they recovered splendidly, especially in the last two ODIs, and dominated India with some outstanding play. In his two most recent ODI series victories against India, an emotional Jayasuriya expressed his happiness to be in the dressing rooms and praised his teammates for their incredible recovery from the disastrous T20I series.
“It was a very long wait because I played in that series in 1997 and scored a lot of runs.” Our last triumph against India in a series was that one. I’m on the squad now, after 27 years, and I’m glad to be with these guys. The entire nation would have witnessed our abilities, and they are a really wonderful group of players,” Jayasuriya was cited as adding.
The boys experienced extreme hardship. Even though we performed well, the outcome of the T20 series was not what was anticipated. He continued, “The guys started to play well after they recognised what went wrong when we got back to Colombo.
Jeffrey Vandersay seizes the chance with both hands: The Sanath Jayasuriya
Prior to the series, Sri Lanka suffered multiple player injuries. After participating in the first ODI, Wanindu Hasaranga, the all-around talisman, also sustained an injury. Despite the fact that few people thought the Lankans would be able to defeat the best ODI squad, the hosts made history. Following Hasaranga’s departure, Jeffrey Vandersay played the final two matches and impressed with a six-for in the second ODI, which is why Jayasuriya praised him.
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We have been collaborating with really young athletes such as Wellalage, Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, and Asalanka. The 55-year-old remarked, “Hasaranga was hurt, and Vandersay has been there for a long time but never got the chance, and when we gave it, he grabbed it with both hands.”
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