Sri Lanka Ends ODI Losing Streak Against India with Vandersay’s Impressive 6-For
Sri Lanka defeated India in a thrilling match played at the R Premadasa Stadium, earning their first victory over the team in three ODIs thanks to an impressive 6 wickets haul by Jeffrey Vandersay.
With Vandersay tearing through the top half, India, behind 241, fell from 97 for 0 to 147 for 6 on a pitch where the ball gripped and spun.
India 208 (Rohit 64, Axar 44, Vandersay 6-33, Asalanka 3-20) lost to Sri Lanka 240 for 9 (Avishka 40, Kamindu 40, Washington 3-30, Kuldeep 2-33) by 32 runs.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka elected to bat first on a pitch that allowed the spinners to stop, grip, and turn the ball savagely at points. Amazingly, they rallied from six down for less than 150 runs. Down the order, Dunith Wellalage had a significant impact by scoring at a run per ball while defying the circumstances at the R Premadasa Stadium.
At the beginning of India’s chase, Rohit Sharma defied the conditions to an even more remarkable degree, putting the team well ahead of the asking rate with a blistering half-century. Subsequently, India crumbled in the face of Sri Lanka’s spinners, and before they reached 140, half of their team had returned to the dressing room.
All of these incidents occurred during Friday’s first ODI and again two days later as Sri Lanka attempted to win this Indian white-ball tour. In the third and final Twenty20 International, they had drawn, but India had won the Super Over. Also, they had tied the opening ODI.
When Sri Lanka finally managed to surpass their previous performance, their hero wasn’t even a member of their starting lineup. Wanindu Hasaranga’s hamstring injuries prevented legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who had made his debut in December 2015 but had only played 22 ODIs prior to this one, from being selected into the squad until the eve of the match.
Then in only 29 balls, Vandersay dismissed Virat Kohli, Rohit, Shubman Gill, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul, turning 97 for no loss into 147 for 6. Vandersay then tore through the core of India’s batting order.
India was unable to rebound from a similar collapse on Friday, but they were unable to do so this time either. With Vandersay mainly out of the attack, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar put them within 56 runs of their target with a 38-run stand for the seventh wicket.
However, there was another flashback to Friday right as India appeared to be gaining ground. With his occasional off-spin, Charith Asalanka had claimed three wickets at that point. Now, he returned and removed Axar and Washington in consecutive overs, and that was pretty much it.
For the first time since July 2021, Sri Lanka defeated India in an ODI by 32 runs. Prior to Friday’s draw, they had lost six of their previous seven meetings. With his 6 for 33, Vandersay carried on a great tradition by becoming the sixth bowler from Sri Lanka to achieve a six-for or better in an ODI against India, following Muthiah Muralidaran, Ajantha Mendis, Angelo Mathews, and Akila Dananjaya.
Given the circumstances, Sri Lanka prepared a five-man spin assault for the match, including the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis, who replaced the seamer Mohamed Shiraz.
After India reduced Sri Lanka to 136 for 6, Kamindu made a significant contribution with his main ability, batting 40 and adding 72 with Wellalage for the seventh wicket, off just 68 balls. With Rohit exploiting the first-powerplay field constraints and Wellalage, Dananjaya, and Kamindu displaying a marked lack of control early on, the abundance of spin didn’t seem like such a smart idea as India’s chase got underway.
In the first 10 overs, India reached 76 for no loss thanks to the combined efforts of these three spinners, who bowled six overs without giving up a wicket. Of those runs, 51 were scored by Rohit, who reached his half-century in just 29 balls in the 10th over after Kamindu sliced a six over cover.
When he experienced the opposite of the aggression that had led to all of his runs, he had progressed to 64 off of 43. At that point, the diving Pathum Nissanka caught the switch-sweep after Vandersay extracted a little additional bounce.
Once Vandersay had that opening, he seized over. Vandersay demonstrated the virtue of attacking the stumps, with Rahul bottom-edging one onto his stumps and Gill top-edging a cover drive. The natural variance off the surface let him to test both edges relentlessly. The left-handed Dube was leg before wicket (LBW) to a ball that ripped in while keeping low, while Iyer and Kohli were both out of position after the ball raced on with the angle.
India was in the muck before they even realized it. Washington and Axar held out for sixty balls, composedly albeit not without lucky breaks, until Asalanka caught the former and bowled him with a ball that lodged in the pitch. Then Washington was leg before wicket (lbw) to an Asalanka delivery that went with the arm from round the wicket; his wicket was the fourth of five leg before wickets in India’s innings, to go with one bowled. Washington had just escaped a Dananjaya legbreak that burst past his inside edge and bounced over the stumps.
When Kuldeep Yadav and Washington, India’s most successful bowlers, produced consecutive wicket maidens in the 34th and 35th overs of Sri Lanka’s innings, leaving them at 136 for 6, it had looked doubtful that India would be chasing 241.
Sri Lanka was not progressing. Mohammed Siraj had opened the proceedings by sending Nissanka back with a superbly pitched outswinger, but Sri Lanka lost 5 for 62 after Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis put on 74 for the second wicket.
Axar’s straighter pitch posed a serious threat on this kind of pitch because he was often getting the ball to sail over the right-hander’s outside edge. Though he didn’t have the luck to match his skill, Washington was picking up wickets at the other end. First, he had Avishka caught off the leading edge, and then he had Kusal lbw after missing a sweep off a full ball.
After that, the runs started to trickle in. Sri Lanka had lost Janith Liyanage and Asalanka and scored seven runs in their previous 4.5 overs when Kamindu, batting unusually low at No. 8, joined Wellalage.
However, Wellalage batted freely and got the lucky break that any big knock in these conditions needs. He and Sri Lanka’s first six came off a mishit that just cleared long-on, and the next ball’s mishit found itself in no-man’s land beyond midwicket going back. Then, he blasted the longest ball of the innings, clearing the wide long-off boundary with a good-length delivery from Siraj.
While Kamindu demonstrated his intelligence and the uncommon ability to read Kuldeep off his hand by producing his maiden boundary with a flawless reverse-sweep, he was undoubtedly the supporting player in the seventh-wicket stand, scoring 26 off 35 to Wellalage’s 39 off 33.
However, as the quick bowlers came back in the final overs, Kamindu was able to open up and, with Dananjaya and him putting on 31 off 22 balls, India’s tempers slightly loosened. Upon sending Siraj hurtling through the air for four runs in the 49th over, Dananjaya responded with a bouncer laced with verbals.
Ultimately, the combined numbers of India’s spinners, which included Rohit for two overs, were 6 for 112 in thirty-one overs. Their three seamers finished with 1 for 111 from 19, including Dube who bowled two overs. With five spinners compared to India’s three and a bit, Sri Lanka had a significant impact on the outcome.
Also Read: Hasaranga and Asalanka’s Heroics Lead to a Thrilling Tie Against India in The 1st ODI
Rohit Sharma On The 32 Runs Loss Against Sri Lanka
In the second One-Day International, Rohit Sharma described the 32-run loss to Sri Lanka as painful and stated that there will be talks on the middle-overs play of the batsmen.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma described the second ODI’s 32-run loss to Sri Lanka as painful and stated that Sunday’s middle-overs performance will be discussed in relation to how the batters performed.
Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay’s six-wicket haul stunned India, who were bowled out for 208 chasing 241—yet another example of their vulnerability to spin. It sucks to lose a game, for whatever reason. It goes beyond those ten overs in which India lost six wickets for fifty runs. You have to play cricket consistently, which is something we didn’t do. “A little let down, but these things happen,” Rohit remarked during the presentation ceremony following the game. “We didn’t measure up. Not wanting to get too deeply into our gameplay. However, we’ll discuss our batting strategy in the middle overs,” he continued.
India’s hitters, according to Rohit, must swiftly adjust to these deliveries.
“You must adjust to the situation that is in front of you. We believed that rotating the strike would be simpler with the batsmen arranged left-right. However, Jeffrey deserves praise for his six wickets.” The 37-year-old stated that despite losing this game, his strategy will not change.
“My batting technique is the reason I scored 65. There are a lot of hazards involved when I bat like that. You always feel let down if you don’t go over the line.
“But I don’t want to abandon my goals. We are aware of the surface’s character, which makes middle overs extremely difficult. In the powerplay, you have to attempt to acquire as many as you can,” he continued. Charith Asalanka, the captain of Sri Lanka, stated that their score of 240 was sufficient given the circumstances.
“I was pleased with my result; 240 was a respectable amount. I enjoy difficulties like these as a captain since they have lots of spin choices. He (Vandersay) cast a magic that was truly amazing.” But Asalanka was hoping to contribute at the bat in the following game as well.
“Since my primary position is batting, I must score runs. I can bowl a few overs after that,” he remarked.
Player of the match Wandersay acknowledged that he was under some pressure to perform as he was Wanindu Hasaranga’s replacement and that Wanindu had been sidelined for the series due to a hamstring ailment.
“A lot of pressure was applied to the side. I recently got out of a layoff. Taking credit is simpler (for myself). However, I also want to acknowledge the batters, who contributed 240 runs to the score.” The 34-year-old stated that in order to be among the regular players, he will need to continue pushing himself.
Hasaranga is the best spinner we have. I gained an understanding of the team dynamic and balance. I must always challenge myself.” According to Vandersay, getting rid of Rohit Sharma gave him more self-assurance.
“I was attempting to hit the good areas; there was assistance in the wicket.” My confidence grew when I took my maiden wicket (Rohit),” he remarked.
