(L to R) Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar© AFP

Virat Kohli (Left) and Mohammed Siraj during India’s third ODI vs Sri Lanka.© X (formerly Twitter)

Team India in action© AFP

India loss against Sri Lanka in the 2nd ODI of the three-match series left everyone utterly shocked. The 2024 T20 World Cup champions had a horrible outing with the bat as they failed to chase the target of 241 and got bundled out for 208. As the first match ended in a tie, India trail 0-1 in the three-match series. Talking about the overall performance, apart from skipper Rohit Sharma, no other Indian batter was able to deliver to his full strength.

Star batter Virat Kohli was one of the biggest disappointments in the first two games as he miserably failed to get a big score. In the first match, Kohli was dismissed for 24, followed by 14 runs in the second match. In both the games, Kohli was dismissed by spinners.

Seeing the back-to-back struggles of Kohli against spin, former Pakistan batter Basit Ali stated that India’s poor performance showed their lack of practice.

“A great batsman like Virat Kohli, the world’s number one batsman, has been out LBW twice. It’s understandable if it happens to Iyer or Dube, but Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. This means that he is not in practice,” said Basit on his YouTube channel.

“It did not seem that this is the batting lineup which rules the world. I feel that Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul probably haven’t even practiced. These people have come without practice,” he added.

Ali also criticised batter Shreyas Iyer for poor show and stated that he should be replaced by the likes of Rinku Singh, Rishabh Pant, or Riyan Parag.

“I don’t understand what is Shreyas Iyer going to do with such performances. I think the time has come for Rishabh Pant, Riyan Parag, and Rinku Singh,” said Ali.

“India’s 50-over domestic tournament will be vital for Gautam Gambhir because he will have to take some players from there. If India pick players based on reputation, the results won’t be too good in the Champions Trophy,” he added.

India all-rounder Washington Sundar feels the must-win third and final ODI against Sri Lanka will provide them a big opportunity to counter the spin threat in challenging conditions and hold the team in good stead ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy. The Indian team is staring at its first bilateral ODI series defeat against the Islanders in 27 years after losing the second ODI by 32 runs, thanks to the lackluster performance of the batters, who failed to tackle the Lankan spin attack. “It is an opportunity for us to go out there and put our hands up and win those critical situations,” Sundar told reporters on the eve of the match.

“Obviously with the big tournaments coming up, we will be in similar situations and it will be important to find ways as to what we can do to win those critical situations especially in similar conditions against quality spin attack.

“I think whatever we have done in this series so far, we will take that as a learning, obviously try and move ahead and win the game tomorrow in all aspects of the game.”

“We are quality players of spin, matter of finding a way”

Sundar also came out in defence of the batters, who looked shoddy against the spinners in the series so far.

“We are quality players of spin. We’ve always played in these kinds of wickets, even at home, in Test matches, and in different formats. Even domestic cricket, we play a lot of games in such wickets,” he said.

“And we know a lot of our players have done really well, especially in the middle order, batting against spin. So it’s just a matter of finding a way, their own individual self and trying to get the job done.

“Everyone knows it’s quite a challenging wicket. Obviously, the Indian team has always put its hands up, especially when the challenge arises. And that’s when we’ve been very good, both with bat and ball, and we’ve come out flying colours out of the challenging situations,” he said.

“And that’s the definition of Indian cricket team over the last many years. So I think it’s the same, it’s been the same scenario in this series as well. It’s just about finding a way individually and getting the job done.” The 24-year-old said the team has tried to make tactical changes after getting inputs from new head coach Gautam Gambhir.

“There has been a lot of input from him (Gambhir). He is a high-quality player of spin. We have always seen him putting up great performance, especially in such wickets against quality spin.

“That is one of the reasons we came out here today to practice and try and find a way and try and do those small little changes tactically and be prepared and ready for tomorrow’s game and be really on top of our game in all aspects,” Sundar said.

Sundar, who had produced a match-winning performance in Pallekele to help India claim the third T20I in a dramatic Super Over, said he wants to make the most of the opportunities that comes his way. “It’s important for me to do well with the bat and contribute to team success and mainly win games, especially with the bat whenever I get an opportunity.

“I feel like I had two good opportunities in this series already and yes, really looking forward to get the job done for the team, especially with the bat, especially when we’re chasing and the chips are down,” he said.

Talking about his game, Sundar said he made a few changes to his bowling but it is more about finding a good rhythm.

“I am someone who works hard and tries to find ways to be successful and to be an asset to the team.

“That way when I was thinking about my bowling, I had to do certain things, slightly different, not huge changes, but just to add a couple of more things and do certain things more often and more efficiently,” he said.

“I mean it’s more to do with the rhythm and a little about technicalities. I feel that when I get certain things right with my rhythm and with my techniques, I feel a lot of things come out really well for me, especially out of my hands.”

India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI© AFP

Skipper Rohit Sharma played on a different ‘track’ from his other colleagues, who were thoroughly exposed against quality spin bowling as Sri Lanka managed to eke out a tie against India in a low-scoring but thrilling opening ODI in Colombo on Friday. In a chase of 231, skipper Rohit smashed 58 off 47 balls on a rank turner with variable bounce, taking his team to 71 in 10 overs but all the other batters never looked comfortable against an army of Lankan spinners as skipper Charith Asalanka got wickets off back-to-back deliveries to play his part in the 44th tie in the history of ODI cricket.

When Shivam Dube (25) hit those two sixes and a boundary through the extra cover to tie the scores, it seemed like Sri Lanka’s woes would continue, but Asalanka took it upon himself to at least earn a psychological win for the home team.

Rohit didn’t look one bit rusty during his destructive half-century but the Indian middle-order stuttered badly, showing their ineptitude against slow bowlers.

After the Indian bowling unit collectively put up a good show on a turner, restricting Sri Lanka to 230 for 8, Rohit’s 58 gave India a destructive start. Things went into a downward spiral after that as Sri Lanka’s battery of spinners, led by Wanindu Hasaranga (3/58 in 10 overs), Akila Dananjaya (/140 in 10 overs), Dunith Wellalage (2/39 in 8 overs) and skipper Charith Asalanka (3/30 in 8.5 overs), not only choked the run flow but also got breakthroughs when necessary.

On a pitch where Rohit made batting look ridiculously easy, KL Rahul (31 off 43 balls) seemed to once again play his natural waiting game that has always proved to be detrimental for his team’s cause. And, by the time he threw away his wicket, he couldn’t ensure a decisive turnaround.

Virat Kohli (23), Shreyas Iyer (24) and Axar Patel (33) all got starts but couldn’t capitalise.

However, it was Rohit, who looked like playing on a different track compared to all other batters across both teams. He started with an 88-metre six over cow corner off the very third ball of India’s innings bowled by Asitha Fernando and then welcomed debutant pacer Mohamed Shiraz with a couple of boundaries and a slap over deep mid-wicket for a six.

While Shubman Gill (16) struggled at the other end, Rohit treated the Lankan bowlers with disdain.

Once he was adjudged leg-before trying a slog sweep off Dananjaya, suddenly the pitch, which looked easy to bat on, started showing its vagaries.

The ball started turning a wee bit more and the variable bounce also created confusion. Kohli got a skidder and was plumb in front while Washington Sundar (5) got one that Dananjaya fired in with an angle. Iyer didn’t look bad in his short innings before an in-cutter from Fernando breached his defence.

Earlier, intelligent fifties from Pathum Nissanka and Dunith Wellalage carried the hosts to a fighting score.

Nissanka (56, 75b, 9×4) was a picture of concentration and Wellalage (67 not out, 65b, 7×4, 2×6) of confidence on a pitch that offered some turn after Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka opted to bat first.

Sri Lanka had a shaky start to their innings when Mohammed Siraj ousted Avishka Fernando but Nissanka and Kusal Mendis (14) added 39 runs for a steady second wicket as the hosts staged a mini-recovery.

Just as it happened in the preceding T20I series, the Islanders showed the propensity to throw their wickets away from that point.

This is not to undermine the excellent effort put in by the Indian bowlers, who elicited several false shots from the Lankan batters.

Mendis fell leg-before to Shivam Dube, who made his return to one-day cricket after a hiatus of five years with that scalp.

From a relatively comfortable 46 for two, the Lankan innings soon crash-landed to 101 for five in the 27th over.

Wellalage was quite impressive after his initial struggles against Kuldeep. The crunchy back-foot punch through the covers for four off Washington and a few other ramps and scoops were a testimony to the youngster’s potential.

The left-hander, who added another 46 with Akila Dhananjaya for the eighth wicket, brought up his maiden ODI fifty in 59 balls, also assisting his side to go past the 200-run mark that once appeared far away.

India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI LIVE Cricket Updates© AFP

India vs Sri Lanka Live Streaming 1st ODI: When, Where To Watch Match Live© AFP

Ahead of India’s first ODI against Sri Lanka, skipper Rohit Sharma said that it is hard to choose between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper-batter slot, calling both of them match-winners and saying that it is nice to have such selection “problems” while picking up a team. India’s first ODI against Sri Lanka will start on Friday at Colombo. This comes after Men in Blue’s 3-0 clean sweep win in the T20I series. It isn’t just the Rahul vs Pant call that Rohit has to take for the wicket-keeper’s spot but also a Shivam Dube vs Riyan Parag decision that the India skipper would be contemplating on ahead of the series opener.

Speaking ahead of the game in the pre-match press conference, Rohit said, “I will need to discuss with the head coach. You will see it tomorrow when we play the game.”

However, Rohit was pleased with this problem of plenty, wherein two talented players could pip each other out for a specialist role based on their performances.

“It is a tough call. Both are quality players. They are match-winners in their own way. It is always nice to have problems picking up the team like that.”

“When you are discussing too much on who to pick or leave, then that means there is quality in the team. Which I think is a good thing. I look forward to these problems till I am captain,” he concluded his point.

A big quandary for India ahead of the ODI series would be around the wicketkeeper’s role.

In Rishabh Pant’s absence due to a horrific accident, KL Rahul donned the role in the fifty-overs format for a significant period in 2023, including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup at home and the subsequent South Africa tour.

However, with Pant’s return both players are in the squad and India needs to pick one player as a wicketkeeper in the XI.

KL Rahul has impressive batting numbers when being the designated wicketkeeper in ODIs. In 35 matches where he kept wickets for India, he has 1355 runs at an average of 58.91 with two hundreds and ten fifties. He also has 48 dismissals standing behind the stumps.

Pant, meanwhile, also had good numbers in his last year of appearance in ODIs. In 2022, Pant made 336 runs in 12 games, scoring his maiden ODI hundred (125* off 113) against England in Manchester.

This makes the choice between the two a tough one for India.

Having retired from the T20I format after captaining India to a World Cup win in June, Rohit was questioned on how he felt about moving away from the format.

However, the India skipper lightened up the entire press conference by stating that “mentally” he was not out of the format yet.

“The only difference I feel is that, I have felt like I’ve been rested from the T20Is, like it used to happen in the past. And then a big tournament will come up, and we have to again get ready for the T20Is,” said Rohit.

“That is how I feel. I do not think, I am completely out of the format,” he added.

India’s tour of Sri Lanka started on July 27 with the T20I series, with India securing a 43-run win. In the second T20I, India secured a seven-wicket victory in a rain-affected match.

Meanwhile, the Men in Blue clinched a win in the super-over in the third match. The third T20I was tied and India secured a win in a thrilling super over to clinch the series 3-0.

The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is getting to host the 50-over matches. The three ODIs will be held on August 2, August 4, and August 7.

India’s Predicted XI vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul/Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube/Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed/Arshdeep Singh