India’s Washington Sundar and KL Rahul celebrate the dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Avishka Fernando during their 2nd ODI match, at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on August 4, 2024
| Photo Credit: ANI

For the Indian fans, the memories of Sri Lankan bowlers like Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis running through the Men in Blue in ODIs would trigger painful memories.

Leg-spinner Jeffery Vandersay joined that list (10-0-33-6) when he spun a web around the Indian batting line-up to bowl his side to a 32-run win in the second ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

Vandersay was an eleventh-hour addition to the squad after Wanindu Hasaranga was ruled out on Saturday following a hamstring injury. Playing his first ODI match since January, the 34-year-old had the Indian batters like a cat on a hot tin roof, scalping six in his first seven overs.

It was a case of spectacular implosion from visitors after Rohit Sharma (64, 44b. 5×4, 4×6) lit up the Colombo night sky through his sensational strokeplay in pursuit of 241.

The Indian skipper welcomed Dimuth Wellalage by cutting the left-arm spinner twice and slog-swept him to the square leg fence in the fourth over. The 37-year-old was in a belligerent mood, pulling Akila Dananjaya over long-on and then lofting Kamindu Mendis through extra-cover to bring up his second half-century of the series in style.

But India’s innings crumbled once Rohit was dismissed, caught at point trying to reverse-sweep Vandersay. Shubman Gill was the next to go, edging the leg-spinner to first slip, where Kamindu Mendis pulled off a one-handed blinder. In the same over, Shivam Dube was trapped plumb in front.

Vandersay got his leg-breaks buzzing on a surface that offered grip and turn. He put his side firmly on top when he removed Virat Kohli leg-before and completed his maiden five-for by rapping Shreyas Iyer on the pads with a googly. Rohit’s men plummeted from 97 for no loss to 147 for six in the space of 9.5 overs when K.L. Rahul dragged one onto his stumps.

Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka (three for 20) then weaved his magic again, dismissing Axar Patel (44) and Washington Sundar in his successive overs to close out the game and give the packed crowd its money’s worth.

Earlier, Sri Lanka opted to bat first and posted 240 for nine, riding on some vital top-order and lower-order contributions.

After losing Pathum Nissanka off the first ball to Mohammed Siraj, Avishka Fernando (40) and Kusal Mendis (32) set things straight by stitching a 74-run stand for the second wicket.

Washington (three for 30) got India into the game, removing the two set-batters in successive deliveries across two overs. From 74 for one, Sri Lanka slumped to 136 for six. But like in the first game, Dunith Wellalage’s (39, 35b) late charge helped the Lions get past 200. Wellalage got good support from Kamindu Mendis (40) and forged a 72-run alliance for the seventh wicket as Sri Lanka finished strongly, scoring 44 in the last five. The partnership proved decisive and helped the hosts take an unassailable 1-0 lead.

It is often said, ‘lightning never strikes twice’. India and Sri Lanka, though, seem to be on a mission to prove the saying wrong after playing their second tied encounter in as many games, albeit in different formats. In the third and final T20I in Pallekele, the Lankans made a mess of a small chase, tied a game they should have won, and eventually lost in the Super Over.

On Friday, India returned the favour in the first One-Day International, failing to score one run despite having two wickets and 15 balls before being bowled out. The only difference this time was that there was no one-over shoot-out to break the logjam.

When the two sides square off against each other for the second One-Day International at the R. Premadasa International Stadium on Sunday, the focus will be on being more clinical in closing out the match and not allowing the opposition a chance to get back into the contest.

The pitch for the first game aided spinners considerably, and once the ball became soft, boundaries were hard to come by. Though Sri Lankan interim head coach Sanath Jayasuriya said on the eve of the opening game that he hoped to get good surfaces suitable for one-day cricket, it remains to be seen if the strip for Sunday’s game will be drastically different.

India will rue the first outing as a missed opportunity in not taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series despite dominating most phases of the game.

The Indian bowlers were largely impressive, and skipper Rohit Sharma showed no signs of rustiness on his return to ODIs for the first time since the heartbreaking defeat in the World Cup final against Australia last November.

He continued from where he left off in the World Cup by being aggressive in the PowerPlay.

However, Once the spinners came on, most Indian batters struggled to rotate the strike, and the boundaries dried up. The team will look to improve in this area and establish a few more enduring partnerships.

The first ODI also gave a glimpse of what the team is looking to build under new coach Gautam Gambhir. Like in the T20Is,

The penchant for having more than a few left-handed batters was visible, with Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube forming the core of the middle order.

With K.L. Rahul continuing to keep wickets, India seems to be prioritising having the cushion of a sixth bowler over Rishabh Pant’s X-factor for now.

On the other hand, the hosts continue to fret over a fragile middle-order that continues to struggle against the Indian tweakers. Without Dunith Wellalage’s lower-order resistance, the Lions were in danger of being bundled out cheaply.

Later, the spinners maximised the conditions to avoid the ignominy of another defeat, and Sri Lanka emerged from the first game as moral winners. On Sunday, the home team would want to make it a statistical reality.

Ahead of the second match, Sri Lanka received another injury blow after leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga was ruled out of the remaining two fixtures due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the first ODI.

Fellow leggie Jeffrey Vandersay has been named as Hasaranga’s replacement.

The teams (from):

India: Rohit Sharma (Capt.), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, K.L. Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed and Harshit Rana.

Sri Lanka: Charith Asalanka (Capt.), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Nishan Madushka, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando, Mohamed Shiraz and Eshan Malinga

Match starts at 2.30 p.m. IST.

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.

Suryakumar Yadav in action during the first Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on July 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

It is uncommon for a cricket series to unfold in Sri Lanka without rain unsettling the proceedings in at least a game.

Sunday’s second T20I in Pallekele ensured the ‘tradition’ stayed true as India pipped Sri Lanka by seven wickets in a rain-disrupted match to seal the series 2-0.

India hunted down a DLS-adjusted 78-run target in just 6.3 overs, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya stitching up the win with some flashy stroke play.

The game, which started nearly an hour late due to a wet outfield, was called to a halt in the first over of the Indian chase when the skies opened up.

The Indian openers returned to the middle just over an hour later, with Jaiswal restarting the chase by swatting Dasun Shanaka to the deep mid-wicket fence for a four.

Sanju Samson, who replaced an injured Shubman Gill, was caught off guard first ball by a quicker off-break from Maheesh Theekshana which disturbed his stumps.

But, skipper Suryakumar and Jaiswal employed the sweeps and the reverse sweeps to great effect to negate the Lankan spin threat of Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga, propelling India closer to the target.

This included a hat-trick of swept fours from Suryakumar against Theekshana.

The 33-year-old batter followed it up by audaciously flicking a fuller one from Matheesha Pathirana over deep fine leg’s head.

The Lankan bowlers managed to dismiss both Jaiswal and Suryakumar. But in the end, it proved to be too little too late as India romped home easily.

Earlier, Sri Lanka endured another middle-order collapse to settle for what proved to be a sub-par total of 161 for nine wickets.

Riding on a free-flowing fifty from Kusal Perera, Sri Lanka was well-placed at 130 for two at the 15-over mark after being inserted by Suryakumar. But much like in the series opener, where it lost its last nine wickets for 30 runs, the home side crumbled in the death.

Perera also had luck in his favour as he reached his fifty after he pulled a Hardik Pandya short ball into the hands of Rinku Singh, only for the Indian fielder to slip and slide into the boundary rider.

Hardik’s bouncer ploy eventually bore fruit as he had Perera and Kamindu Mendis caught by Rinku at deep square leg, triggering the home side’s collapse as it lost its last seven wickets for the addition of just 31 runs, with Ravi Bishnoi ending with a three-wicket haul.

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.