In the third and final One-Day International, Rohit Sharma’s Indian team was humiliated by Sri Lanka, and they lost the series 0–2. Sharma is now just the third Indian skipper to lose an ODI bilateral series against the island nation, following in the footsteps of the illustrious Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin.
India’s 27-year winning streak in bilateral ODI series against the neighbouring country came to an end on August 7, 2024, when they lost by 110 runs in the third ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
When Tendulkar was captaining India in 1997, the team last lost an ODI series against the Lankan Lions. The first person to lose a series against Sri Lanka was Azharuddin, the former captain of India, in 1993.
Under the direction of Charith Asalanka, Sri Lanka amassed 248 runs in their 50 overs at a cost of 7 wickets. The three most impressive batsmen for the hosts were Avishka Fernando (96), Kusal Mendis (59), and Pathum Nissanka (45).
As a result, India’s batting order collapsed as they were dismissed for just 138 runs in 26.1 overs. The visitors’ lone highlights came from Washington Sundar’s 30-run innings and Sharma’s 35-run performance. Nobody else reached the 20-run threshold, and the remaining batters were unable to contribute much.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma evaluates India’s series loss to Sri Lanka: “We used our feet too much and didn’t play enough sweeps.”
With five wickets taken, Sri Lanka’s Dunith Wellalage was the standout player. This was his second five-wicket haul against India; he had previously done it in their Asia Cup 2023 encounter. Before playing Bangladesh in a two-match Test series, the Men in Blue will have a month-long rest.
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