If Sri Lanka squandered games from winning positions in the three-match T20I series, it was India’s turn to make a mess of a relatively simple chase as the two sides played out a sensational tied encounter in the first ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on August 2.

Chasing 231, the visitor needed just five runs off the last three overs with two wickets in hand. And when Shivam Dube (25) punched Charith Asalanka (three for 30) to the cover boundary off the third ball of the 48th, the game seemed done and dusted. But the Lankan skipper did not throw in the towel and managed to trap Dube and Arshdeep Singh leg-before off consecutive deliveries to salvage pride for his team.

On a tricky pitch that offered considerable assistance to the spinners, the Men in Blue got off to a flyer but lost their way as the Sri Lankan tweakers kept their side in the hunt, picking wickets at regular intervals.

Skipper Rohit Sharma (58, 47b, 7×4, 3×6) set the tone for the chase when he belted out some of his classics — effortless pulls, flicks and cuts — and sent the Sri Lankan pacers on a leather hunt in the PowerPlay. He did not hold back against the spinners either, cutting Dunith Wellalage for two boundaries and sweeping off-spinner Akila Dananjaya for a four and six over square-leg to bring up his half-century off just 33 balls.

However, left-arm spinner Wellalage (two for 39) gave his side an opening when he removed openers Shubman Gill and Rohit in successive overs. From 75 for no loss, India slumped to 87 for three when Dananjaya had Washington Sundar leg-before.

Wanindu Hasaranga (three for 58) then got the big scalp of Virat Kohli, trapped plumb in front, trying to play off the back foot. In the next over, Asitha castled Shreyas to leave India, tottering at 132 for five.

K.L. Rahul (31) and Axar Patel (33) stitched a 54-run partnership for the sixth wicket to get the innings back on track. Just when things looked in control, Hasaranga removed Rahul when he skied to short midwicket, trying to sweep, while Asalanka had Axar caught behind. Dube almost saw India home, hitting two sixes, but failed to finish the job.

Earlier, half-centuries from opener Pathum Nissanka (56) and later Wellalage (67 n.o) helped the hosts post 230 for eight after opting to bat. Nissanka, who topped the run charts in the T20 series, carried his good form and looked positive in his approach. The 26-year-old played eye-catching shots off the front and backfoot against the quicks, peppered with punches and drives.

As was the case during the T20Is, Nissanka lacked support from the middle-order once the spinners and the home team looked in trouble at 101 for five. Fortunately for Sri Lanka, Wellalage rose to the occasion and played a composed knock, stitching three vital partnerships with the lower order to help his side reach a fighting total. It was not enough to win, but it helped avoid an 11th straight defeat to India across formats.

SCOREBOARD

SRI LANKA INNINGS: Pathum Nissanka lbw b Washington 56 (75b, 9×4), Avishka Fernando c Arshdeep b Siraj 1 (7b), Kusal Mendis lbw b Dube 14 (31b, 1×4), Sadeera Samarawickrama c Gill b Axar 8 (18b), Charith Asalanka c Rohit b Kuldeep 14 (21b, 2×4), Janith Liyanage c Rohit b Axar 20 (26b, 1×4, 1×6), Dunith Wellalage (not out) 67 (65b, 7×4, 2×6), Wanindu Hasaranga c Axar b Arshdeep 24 (35b, 1×4, 2×6), Akila Dananjaya c Washington b Arshdeep 17 (21b, 2×4), Mohamed Shiraz (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-2, w-6): 8

Total (for eight wkts. in 50 overs): 230.

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-7 (Avishka, 2.3 overs), 2-46 (Kusal Mendis, 13.1), 3-60 (Samarawickrama, 18.3), 4-91 (Asalanka, 23.5), 5-101 (Nissanka, 26.3) , 6-142 (Liyanage, 34.2), 7-178 (Hasaranga, 42.6), 8-224 (Dananjaya, 49.3).

INDIA BOWLING: Siraj 8-2-36-1, Arshdeep 8-0-47-2, Axar 10-0-33-2, Dube 4-0-19-1, Kuldeep 10-0-33-1, Washington 9-1-46-1, Gill 1-0-14-0.

INDIA INNINGS: Rohit Sharma lbw b Wellalage 58 (47b, 7×4, 3×6), Shubman Gill c Kusal Mendis b Wellalage 16 (35b, 2×4), Virat Kohli lbw b Hasaranga 24 (32b, 2×4), Washington Sundar lbw b Dananjaya 5 (4b, 1×4), Shreyas Iyer b Asitha 23 (23b, 4×4), K.L. Rahul c Wellalage b Hasaranga 31 (43b, 2×4), Axar Patel c Kusal Mendis b Asalanka 33 (57b, 2×4, 1×6), Shivam Dube lbw b Asalanka 25 (24b, 1×4, 2×6), Kuldeep Yadav b Hasaranga 2 (10b), Mohammed Siraj (not out) 5 (11b), Arshdeep Singh lbw b Asalanka 0 (1b); Extras (lb-4, w-4): 8

Total (in 47.5 overs): 230.

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-75 (Gill, 12.4), 2-80 (Rohit, 14.2), 3-87 (Washington, 15.4), 4-130 (Kohli, 23.1), 5-132 (Shreyas, 24.2), 6-189 (Rahul, 39.4), 7-197 (Axar, 40.5), 8-211 (Kuldeep, 44.3), 9-230 (Dube, 47.4).

SRI LANKA BOWLING: Asitha 6-1-34-1, Shiraz 4-0-25-0, Wellalage 9-1-39-2, Dananjaya 10-0-40-1, Hasaranga 10-0-58-3, Asalanka 8.5-0-30-3.

Toss: Sri Lanka; PoM: Wellalage.

Match tied.

Second ODI: August 4, Colombo, 2.30 p.m. IST.

Indian players are seen during a practice session ahead of the first T20 international against Sri Lanka in Kandy on July 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

It is rare for an Indian cricket series to be obscured from the nation’s eye by another sporting event. But, such is the glow of the Olympics, that it has forced India’s white-ball expedition to Sri Lanka down the pecking order.

The tour, which begins with the first of the three T20Is in Pallekelle on July 27, though has something significant to offer. It will provide a first look at an Indian side under a new leadership yoke — Gautam Gambhir as coach and Suryakumar Yadav as captain.

Gambhir, whose coaching experience is restricted to mentorship roles in IPL, will seek to identify a core group and build towards defending the T20 World Cup in 2026.

For Suryakumar, the task will be to fill in the leadership vacuum left behind by the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have retired from T2OIs.

A share of the spotlight will also fall on star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was overlooked as captain despite being Rohit’s deputy in the World Cup triumph.

Hardik also lost out on the vice-captaincy role to Shubman Gill, who the team is eyeing as the next multi-format batting mainstay.

Gill, who captained a heavily rotated Indian side to a 4-1 win in Zimbabwe after the World Cup, looks set to continue at the top of the order along with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Another aspect to look forward will be Gambhir’s choice of wicketkeeper. The Indian coach in the past has vouched for backing Sanju Samson for a sustained period, while for the recent T20 World Cup, he opined Rishabh Pant to be a better fit for the batting order.

The absence of strike pair Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, who have been rested, will offer the rest of the Indian bowling attack a chance to stake claim for an assured spot in the side.

Much like India, Sri Lanka too comes into the series with a new coach and captain. But the circumstances couldn’t be any dissimilar.

A calamitous T20 World Cup campaign saw Wanindu Hasaranga being stripped of captaincy with middle-order batter Charith Asalanka taking over. Legendary opener Sanath Jayasuriya is the interim coach, replacing Chris Silverwood.

Much of Sri Lanka’s hopes will rely on its well-rounded bowling attack which covers most of the bases in the T20 format.

The teams (from):

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Ꮪhubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.

Sri Lanka: Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Janith Perera, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Asitha Fernando, Binura Fernando.

Match starts at 7 p.m. IST

Tough decision: Both are audacious stroke-makers — Pant’s falling pull shots are fascinating while Samson, on his day, can hit the fastest of bowlers over extra cover. 
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

New India head coach Gautam Gambhir will have the onerous task of choosing between Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson during the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting from July 27.

While most of the key stars of the T20 World Cup winning side sans the retiring duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in the Island nation, the choice between two flamboyant wicketkeeper batters Pant and Samson won’t be an easy one.

Worse, even with two slots vacant, one can’t fit in both the hard-hitting batters. Pant with 171 runs was the third highest run-getter for India in the T20 World Cup in the Americas but Samson, though was part of the team, didn’t get into any game.

A bilateral series against Sri Lanka, of late, has become a low-stakes affair with the two countries often engaged in inconsequential series, some of which India plays to help other international cricket boards stay afloat.

One such series was supposed to be the upcoming one against Sri Lanka but it has assumed greater significance after Gambhir took over as the coach and Hardik Pandya, a sure-shot candidate for captaincy was surpassed by Suryakumar Yadav.

In this backdrop, the presence of Gambhir, a fiercely opinionated former India opener and a successful franchise-level mentor, will certainly have a broader say in the team composition, something that will be built over two years in the run-up to the next T20 World Cup.

The choice of a keeper-batter in T20Is hasn’t exactly been a straight forward one for India, especially during the time Pant was out of action due to a horrific car accident in December, 2022.

Ishan Kishan was around for some time before he fell out of favour after leaving the tour of South Africa midway. Samson has featured in some games, so has Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel in the interim.

Samson, one of Pant’s contemporaries, has so far played 28 T20I games with a couple of fifties and strike rate of 133 plus. But it will be fair to say that 27 of those matches have come in the period between 2020 to present, having made his debut back in 2015. So in three and half years, 27 matches sporadically isn’t a lot of games to build on confidence.

While average is a slightly less important aspect in the shortest format, the Kerala star would himself admit that 21.14 doesn’t do justice to his immense potential. On the other hand, Pant from his 74 T20I games has three fifties and a strike-rate of a shade below 127. Samson’s average is thus pretty similar to the Delhi Capitals skipper, who scored at 22.70 per game.

In terms of sheer numbers there is not much to choose between the two. Both are audacious stroke-makers, Pant’s falling pull shots are fascinating while Samson on his day can hit the fastest of bowlers over extra cover for maximums.

It will also purely depend on what the new team management feels. When it came to Rohit Sharma, he has blind faith in Pant’s capabilities and Samson despite being in the squad wasn’t even up for discussion during the T20 World Cup.

However, in the next tour following the T20 World Cup when most first XI boys were rested, Samson played the last three games in Zimbabwe and was also appointed vice-captain to Shubman Gill.

In terms of keeping, Pant is a far better keeper to spinners like Ravi Bishnoi but in T20Is, keeping skills aren’t that important as there are very few balls that would pose trouble for the glovesmen.

Gambhir was Pant’s first first-class captain and has seen him as an 18-year-old even before he played for the India U-19s. But he has also been a big advocate of Samson’s T20 prowess and vocal about his inclusion during his days as a TV pundit.

It will be a very tough choice and even if Pant is picked for the series, he knows that he would have to not only score quick but also play a few big innings to stack up the numbers and keep Samson at bay.