On yet another sluggish, low surface at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka emerged victorious from 136/6 thanks to a 72-run partnership for the seventh wicket. This was the 150th ODI to be played at the stadium. That turnaround was produced by Dunith Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis, who batted at Nos. 7 and 8, respectively, while Washington Sundar finished with remarkable 3 for 30 figures.
Sri Lanka suffered a defeat in form Pathum Nissanka was dismissed off the first ball of the match by Mohammed Siraj, an outswinger, but the hosts were steadied by a partnership that had to carefully navigate past Siraj’s opening five overs. Avishka Fernando (40) and Kusal Mendis (30) scored 74 runs for the second wicket.
Even during its heyday, the partnership appeared unresolved, as one might anticipate on a surface that favours spinners from the outset. It took Washington Sundar nine balls into his spell to break the stand, as Fernando’s leading edge bounced back to the spinner. In his subsequent over, Sundar would take Mendis’s wicket as well, putting Sri Lanka back in the recovery game with two fresh batsmen at the crease.
Both Charith Asalanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama met their demise at the hands of the Indian spinners; Samarawickrama misjudged a slog against Axar in an attempt to break the shackles, while Asalanka was caught off guard by a turning-bouncing delivery and offered a straightforward catch to short third man. Kuldeep Yadav, who was just brought into the attack in the 20th over, bowled a meek first five overs before being rewarded with the wicket of Janith Liyanage in his sixth over. His strike was sandwiched between the two wickets.
At 136/6 after 35 overs, Sri Lanka appeared to be in trouble, but they were saved by two unlikely heroes, Dunith Wellalage (39) and Kamindu Mendis (40), who frustrated India in the last overs and helped push the total – 200. Naturally, it didn’t help when Shivam Dube dropped Mendis on 11.
Wellalage took his time getting going, but once he did, he had some fun hitting some boundaries, such as a six off Siraj in the following over and a four off Axar in the 44th over.
He managed to dent India before being caught by Dube at short third man. Mendis was only removed from the game on the penultimate ball of the innings because of a brilliant catch by Shreyas Iyer.
In the final few overs, Mendis and Akila Dananjaya hit a few boundaries as the final ten overs saw 79 runs scored. The remarkable effort by the spinners, who together picked 112/6 in their 31 overs, was more than offset by the seamers, who bowled their 19 overs for 111/1.
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On a pitch that is comparatively slower, India will have to chase an additional 10 runs after failing to quite reach their total of 231.
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