Ind vs Sl – Jeffrey Vandersay’s remarkable six-wicket haul and a crucial batting effort from Dunith Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis helped Sri Lanka secure a 32-run victory over India in the second ODI, giving them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. This defeat ended India’s 11-series winning streak against Sri Lanka in bilateral ODIs, dating back to December 1997.
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka found themselves struggling at 136/6. However, Wellalage and Mendis added 72 runs for the seventh wicket, helping Sri Lanka reach a competitive total of 240/9 on a slow, low pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, marking the 150th ODI at the venue.
Ind vs Sl
India had struggled to chase a target of 231 in the previous match and faced another challenging chase of 241 on a slower pitch. Rohit Sharma launched an aggressive attack, scoring a 29-ball fifty, his fourth in the first 10 overs of an ODI. Alongside Shubman Gill, Rohit added 97 runs for the first wicket, hitting five fours and four sixes, significantly reducing the target. However, once Rohit fell to a reverse sweep, India collapsed, losing six wickets for 50 runs, all taken by Vandersay, marking the first instance of the first six wickets falling to a spinner.
Gill and Shivam Dube fell in the same over, with Gill dismissed by a stunning one-handed catch from Mendis in the slips and Dube trapped lbw by a leg-break. Virat Kohli was also trapped lbw by a flipper, the first time he had been dismissed lbw to a spinner in consecutive innings. Vandersay completed his maiden five-wicket haul by dismissing Shreyas Iyer with a googly, becoming only the second leg-spinner to take five wickets against India in ODIs. He then dismissed KL Rahul, finishing with figures of 6 for 33.
Washington Sundar and Axar Patel provided some stability with a 38-run stand, but Charith Asalanka dismissed both batsmen in consecutive overs, effectively sealing the match for Sri Lanka. India was bowled out for 208 in 42.2 overs, losing nine wickets to spin.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka lost the in-form Pathum Nissanka off the first ball of the match to an outswinger from Mohammed Siraj. Avishka Fernando (40) and Kusal Mendis (30) added 74 runs for the second wicket, stabilizing the hosts. Washington Sundar broke the partnership by dismissing Fernando, followed by Mendis in his next over, putting Sri Lanka in recovery mode.
Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka struggled against the Indian spinners, with Samarawickrama mistiming a slog against Axar Patel and Asalanka caught off-guard by a turning delivery from Kuldeep Yadav. At 136/6, Sri Lanka was in trouble but found unlikely heroes in Wellalage (39) and Mendis (40), who frustrated India and pushed the total past 200, with Mendis dropped on 11 by Dube.
Wellalage hit a few boundaries, including a four and six off Axar Patel in the 44th over and a six off Siraj in the next. He was eventually caught by Dube, but not before significantly contributing to Sri Lanka’s total. Mendis was run out off the penultimate ball of the innings, thanks to a sharp effort from Shreyas Iyer.
In the final overs, Mendis and Akila Dananjaya managed a few boundaries, scoring 79 runs in the last 10 overs. The seamers bowled their 19 overs for 111/1, offsetting the brilliant effort by the spinners who took 112/6 in their 31 overs. The extra runs in the end proved crucial for Sri Lanka.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 240/9 (Mendis 40, Fernando 40, Wellalage 39; Sundar 3-30, Kuldeep 2-33) beat India 208 all out in 42.2 overs (Rohit 64; Vandersay 6-33) by 32 runs.