India captain Rohit Sharma led his team from the start in the first two matches of the ongoing three-ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, his brilliant knocks went in vain on both occasions as India failed to win either match.
In the first game, Rohit scored a brilliant fifty off 33 balls and also shared a 75-run stand with his opening partner Shubman Gill. However, the other Indian batsmen put up a disappointing performance with the bat and the game ended in a draw. Chasing 231, India were bowled out for 230 runs.
They needed just one run in two overs and with two wickets in hand. However, Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka dismissed Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh on successive deliveries to close out the Indian innings.
The Men in Blue had a chance to take the lead in the series by winning the second game after the bowlers did well to restrict Sri Lanka to 240/9. However, the script remained the same as most of the Indian batsmen, barring Rohit Sharma, failed to play their part. The captain led from the front once again and scored a fifty off 29 balls to give his team another blistering start.
He and Shubman Gill shared a 97-run stand for the opening wicket, but India failed to capitalise on the good start once again. India’s middle-order batsmen disappointed once again as the team was bowled out for 208 runs. Jeffrey Vandersay shone with the ball for Sri Lanka, taking 6 for 33.
Rohit Sharma breaks MS Dhoni’s record:
While Team India has performed poorly in the ODI series so far, Rohit Sharma has enjoyed an excellent campaign. Not only has he impressed with the bat in both games so far, but he has also added another feather to his already illustrious cap. The veteran batsman has broken the legendary MS Dhoni’s long-standing record of being the oldest player to lead India in ODI or white-ball cricket.
Rohit broke the record during the first ODI. While Dhoni stepped down as captain in early 2017, he led India against Afghanistan during the 2018 Asia Cup clash. At that time, he was 37 years and 80 days old. Rohit, on the other hand, was 37 years and 94 days old when he led India in the first ODI against Sri Lanka.
