At R. Premadasa Stadium, Sri Lanka defeated India by 32 runs in the second One-Day International to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. India’s skipper, Rohit Sharma, spoke candidly about team tactics and individual performance despite the defeat, all the while sticking to his aggressive batting approach.
Having won the toss, the hosts elected to bat first. Due in major part to Sri Lanka’s Jeffrey Vandersay’s outstanding bowling performance, India’s chase of 241 began brightly but quickly collapsed. The leg-spinner’s career-best stats of 6/33 were crucial in breaking down India’s batting order.
Sharma gave the Men in Blue an early advantage with a blistering 64 off 44 balls. The visitor’s downfall started with his dismissal due to a reverse sweep, which was expertly taken by Pathum Nissanka off Vandersay’s bowling. During the post-game press conference, the 37-year-old stood by his shot selection strategy when questioned.
“My batting style is the reason I scored 64 runs.” I’ll inevitably take risks when I bat like that, and I don’t mind doing so. You feel let down if you don’t cross the finish line regardless of your score—100, 50, or zero. However, it won’t alter my intentions. We lost the game because of poor cricket play, Rohit stated.
To adjust to what’s in front of you, you must: Rohit Sharma
The Indian captain admitted to the group’s weaknesses. Rohit also talked about the team’s plan to stick with left-to-right batting lineups.
We know that playing consistent cricket is necessary to win games, and today we were unable to do so. Sad, but these things do happen. What’s in front of you must be adjusted to. We thought that rotating the strike would be a little bit easier with left-right, but it didn’t work out. Kudos to Jeffrey for his impressive six-wicket haul. He said, “Sri Lanka was a pretty good cricketing nation.
Avishka Fernando (40 off 62), Dunith Wellalage (39 off 35), and Kamindu Mendis (40 off 44) all contributed to Sri Lanka’s total of 240/9.
Also Read: “We weren’t good enough,” Rohit Sharma said of the hitters’ lack of consistency after their defeat in the 2nd ODI
With three and two wickets taken, respectively, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav spearheaded India’s bowling attack. The side was given some hope by Shubman Gill (35 off 44) and Axar Patel (44 off 44), but no other batter was able to end the game following their removal.
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