The final match of India’s tour of Sri Lanka 2024 was played on Wednesday, 7th August at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. It was an ODI match between the Rohit Sharma-led team and Charith Asalanka & Co.
For the first time, the Men in Blue came into a match with some difficulties, having drawn the first game and lost the second. It was a careless attitude with the ball and poor batting performance in the first two matches that led to the downfall of the Indian team.
In the first ODI, the Indian bowlers had Sri Lanka down at 101/5 but they did not go for the kill and allowed the Lankan Lions to bowl out the 50 overs, who then posted 230 for 8 on the board, which looked like a good total considering the conditions on offer.
Rohit Sharma started the chase like a beast and scored a spectacular half-century. However, after his dismissal, the Indian innings slowed down and they struggled to get going. India lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 230, resulting in a draw.
In the second ODI, the Indian bowlers again let the hosts bowl out 50 overs, in which they scored 240 runs and lost 9 wickets. The chase started on a good note for the visiting team, with captain Rohit Sharma leading the way.
However, just like in the first game, he did not receive much support from the other batsmen, who were struggling against Jeffrey Vandersay, and the Indian team were eventually bowled out for 208, losing by 32 runs.
Sri Lanka played better than us – Rohit Sharma
Talking about the third ODI, India again lost the toss and were invited to bowl first. The Indian bowling unit did a terrible job and they were unable to get an early breakthrough. They got the first wicket at a score of 89, and then the second came at a score of 171. After that, they made the run-scoring slow but allowed Sri Lanka to score 248 runs for 7, which was not easy to chase.
Things got even tougher for India in the second innings as they lost Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma early on. Soon, Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli returned to the pavilion and after losing wickets at regular intervals, the Men In Blue were all out for 138, losing by 110 runs.
After the match, Rohit Sharma said that Indian batsmen have no major concerns regarding the off-spin pitches. He said:
“I don’t think it’s a concern (rotation issues), but it’s something we have to look at individually and as a game plan.”
Asked if India had become complacent after the T20 World Cup, Rohit Sharma said it was a joke and added that under his leadership there will never be complacency in the Indian team. Rohit Sharma explained:
“No. It’s a joke. When you play for India you can never be satisfied. When I’m the captain, that doesn’t exist. But you have to give credit to good cricket. Sri Lanka played better than us. We analysed the conditions and decided on combinations. There are also players who need to be looked at and hence the changes.”
Rohit Sharma added that they need to work on certain areas and bounce back strongly. Rohit Sharma said:
“There are a lot of areas we need to look at rather than the positives of this series, because we need to be better prepared for the next time we encounter similar conditions. These things happen, losing a series is not the end of the world, you will lose a series here and there, but the important thing is how you bounce back after the loss.”
