Sri Lanka national cricket team led by Charith Asalanka took on India national cricket team led by Rohit Sharma in the third and final ODI of the series on Wednesday, August 7 at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Heading into the third match, the Lankan Lions had a 1-0 lead in the series, thanks to the magical performances of the home team in the first two games.
In the first ODI, Charith Asalanka’s team managed to draw after a loss. They had scored 230 in 8 of their 50 overs and it was considered a good total considering the conditions at the venue.
However, Rohit Sharma put pressure on them to back off but the Sri Lankan bowlers got wickets at regular intervals including 2 consecutive wickets when India needed just 1 run with 2 wickets in hand and 2 overs left. This resulted in the visitors being bowled out for 230 and the match ending in a draw.
In the second ODI, a slightly better batting performance saw Sri Lanka finish on 240 for 9 in their 50 overs. With the ball, a similar script was followed as in the first ODI as Rohit Sharma bowled aggressively. However, Sri Lanka’s bowling unit led by Jeffrey Vandersay did an excellent job and bowled out India for 208 to win by 32 runs.
I am a happy captain right now – Charith Asalanka
In the third ODI, the Sri Lankan team put in a spectacular performance and won the match by a lead of 110 runs to clinch the series 2-0. This was Sri Lanka’s first win in an ODI series against India since 1997.
Avishka Fernando (96), Pathum Nissanka (45) and Kusal Mendis (59) batted first and were exceptional, putting the Indian bowling unit in trouble with their strong batting. Even though the lower order did not contribute significantly, they scored 248/7 on the board.
Defending the total, Sri Lanka’s bowlers once again looked menacing, with young Dunith Wellalage taking a haul of 5 wickets, including top wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Axar Patel to bowl out India by 138 runs.
Speaking after the match, Charith Asalanka said that he was very happy after the historic series win over the Indian national cricket team at home. Charith Asalanka added that they were fully aware of the fact that the Indian team has a strong batting line-up and they were planning to counter it with their spin-bowling.
Charith Asalanka added that the mood in the Sri Lanka camp is good and coach Sanath Jayasuriya is delighted. Charith Asalanka explained:
“I am a happy captain right now. The team did everything right throughout the series. We all knew they have a strong batting line-up and we wanted to back our strength, spin was our strength and we backed it up.
“They are in good spirits at the moment and our coach (Sanath Jayasuriya) is very active. The boys really enjoyed the team atmosphere.”
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— Cricket Addict (@AddictorCricket) August 7, 2024