Sri Lanka’s win in the second One-day International game of the ongoing SL vs Ind series at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo came after a long time, as the overall record of both these sides in the 50-ove format stands at a margin of 99-58 in 170 encounters, as the Indian team seeks their 100th win of the format against the respective opponent.
The middle overs (11-40) phase becomes important for the middle order batters to show their skills against the spinners, and that’s the exact period where the series could be decided currently between the two teams, as the Rohit Sharma-led side hasn’t been able to crack it on a spinning surface.
Sri Lanka has managed to score 233 runs in 60 overs during the first two games of the SL vs Ind series, at an average of 23.50. The strike rate of the batters has been around 65, as they have lost 10 wickets during this period. The best thing for the home side has been that even if they didn’t get the runs, their defense has worked, especially toward the 35th to 40th over, which has helped them get at least one partnership.
No batter has been able to score freely in this period, as the spinners have shown their skills. The Charith Asalanka-led side has managed to whack 19 boundaries and three sixes in this session, which hasn’t been impressive compared to how the format is being played but has worked in the series so far.
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In the case of the Indian team, this is their real problem. This has been the main issue for them– batting in the middle overs, with a few players who haven’t looked solid against spin during this phase. The Blue Brigade in this SL vs Ind ODI series has lost 14 wickets in two innings between the 11th to 40th over.
Their bowling average of 16.86 has displayed how badly their performance has been against the home spinners, with a strike rate of 65. The batters have cracked 18 boundaries and four sixes in this period, as their assistant coach Abhishek Nayar spoke about having a chat regarding this struggle before the final ODI game. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer haven’t been in the runs, while Virat Kohli has been dismissed by LBW on consecutive occasions against the spinners.
SL vs Ind Head-to-Head in ODIs
| Sri Lanka | Info | India |
| 170 | Matches Played | 170 |
| 58 | Won | 99 |
| 99 | Lost | 58 |
| 11 | No Result | 11 |
| 411/8 | Highest Score | 414/7 |
| 50 | Lowest Score | 78 |
SL vs IND Head-to-Head in Colombo
Jeffrey Vandersay registered his first ODI five-wicket haul in the second ODI game, where he finished with figures of 6/33, taking all the first six Indian wickets to fall. Sri Lanka, who got their first win over India in the last eight ODIs, will look to seal the series in Colombo.
SL vs Ind Last Five Encounters
The Indian team leads with a margin of 3-1 in the last five games of the format against Sri Lanka, who tied the first ODI of the ongoing series.
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SL vs IND Standout Performers
Most runs for Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (2899 runs)
Most runs for India: Sachin Tendulkar (3113 runs)
Most wickets for Sri Lanka: Muttiah Muralitharan (74 wickets)
Most wickets for India: Zaheer Khan (66 wickets)
Key Match-ups between India and Sri Lanka players
- Virat Kohli has mastered 1332 ODI runs against leg-spinners at an average of 70 and a strike rate of over 100, besides being dismissed 19 times.
- KL Rahul has been dismissed seven times against leg-spinners in 28 ODI innings, with a striker rate of 93.
- Mohammad Siraj has sent back opener Pathum Nissanka twice in ODIs, giving away 12 runs in 23 balls.
