Rohit Sharma returned to the Indian national cricket team after a break to lead his team in the first of three One Day Internationals against the Sri Lanka national cricket team. The match was held at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, August 2.
Surprisingly, this was the first ODI match that the Men in Blue played in the year 2024. It is not that the Indian team did not play many international matches because as usual, they had a packed schedule right from January, but all those matches were either Tests or T20Is.
Rohit Sharma-led Indian team started the year with the second and final Test match of the two-match series against South Africa National Cricket Team in Cape Town. Immediately after, they hosted Afghanistan National Cricket Team in a three-match T20I series.
Then came a big Test series when Rohit Sharma & Co. took on the England National Cricket Team from January 25 to March 11.
The high-octane Test series was followed by a high-profile Indian Premier League and then it was time for the all-important T20 World Cup, which India won in dominant fashion by securing victories in all the matches they played. After the World Cup was over, a young Indian team was sent to Zimbabwe to play five matches, and then it was time for India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2024.
Suryakumar Yadav-led India crushed the hosts in the three-match series to begin a new era under the Gautam Gambhir regime. After all that action in 2024, the Men In Blue played their first ODI of the year and after losing the toss, they had to bowl first.
The score was achievable, we had to bat well to get it. We batted well in some stretches – Rohit Sharma
The visiting team bowled first and did a great job, managing to send half of the Sri Lankan team to the hut in 27 overs at a score of 101. However, they could not deal with the threat of Dunith Wellalage (67), who batted brilliantly and took Sri Lanka to 230/8.
For India, Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh took two wickets each, while the rest of the bowlers, except Shubman Gill, took one wicket each.
In pursuit of the target, Rohit Sharma took his team on a flight and smashed a brutal fifty. However, after his dismissal, India quickly lost wickets. That was when KL Rahul and Axar Patel brought their team back into the game with a 57-run partnership. What happened next no one would have expected as Shivam Dube scored 25 runs but India lost back-to-back wickets of Dube and Arshdeep Singh and were bowled out for 230, leading to the draw.
At the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit Sharma criticised his batsmen and said that the total was achievable. Rohit Sharma said:
“The scores are achievable, it’s just that you have to bat well to get that score. We batted well at some stretches. We didn’t have a consistent momentum throughout the game. We started really well with the bat but we knew the game would start after 10 overs once the bowlers came in to bowl. We had the upper hand early on, then lost a couple of wickets and fell behind in the game. With the partnership that KL and Axar had, we got back into the game pretty well.”
Rohit Sharma further expressed his disappointment at not winning the match but praised Sri Lanka for putting in a great performance. He also spoke about the pitch and said:
“In the end, a bit disappointing, 14 balls, 1 run to score. These things happen. Sri Lanka played well. In the end, it was a fair result. The pitch remained the same. There was bite in the first 25 overs when we bowled and it was the same for them as well. As the game progressed, the seam faded for both teams and it was a bit easier to bat. It’s not a place where you can just come and play your shots and score runs. You have to apply yourself and try really hard to get that score. I’m proud of the way we fought right to the end. The game turned in favour of both teams at different times. It was important to stay calm and stay in the game. We should have got that run.”
