India failed to achieve a 231-run target against Sri Lanka in the first One Day International at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, August 2. The Indian team, known as the Men in Blue, managed to equal the Sri Lankan Lions’ score of 230 on a difficult pitch in Colombo. However, Arshdeep Singh was dismissed without scoring any runs, attempting a risky shot in the 48th over
India has now overtaken Australia in the record of most tied matches in One Day International cricket. This tie was their 10th in this format, placing them second, just behind the West Indies.
Most Number of Ties in one day cricket
West Indies -11
India -10
Australia -9
England -9
Pakistan -9
Zimbabwe -8
Sri Lanka chose to bat first and struggled to reach 230, after facing the risk of being all out for less than 200. Opener Pathum Nissanka made 56, but none of the middle-order batsmen contributed significantly. Dunith Wellalage’s 67 helped the hosts recover and stabilize their score.
During the chase, India faced significant challenges despite a half-century from Rohit Sharma. They went from 80/1 to 189/6. A 57-run partnership between KL Rahul and Axar Patel helped India recover somewhat, but their troubles were not over. Shivam Dube’s quick innings provided some support, but India lost the match when Arshdeep was out LBW by captain Charith Asalanka in the 48th over.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his disappointment over the tied game. He said, “The target was achievable if we had played good cricket. We had some good moments, but we didn’t keep up the momentum. We had the advantage, but we lost a few wickets. The partnership between KL and Axar helped us recover. It was a bit frustrating at the end. These things happen. Sri Lanka played well. The result was fair. The pitch stayed consistent; it wasn’t easy to score freely. You had to work hard for runs. The game went back and forth between the teams. We should have managed to get that one run,” he mentioned during the post-match ceremony.
Dunith Wellalage was named the Player of the Match for his outstanding performance in the first innings and taking two wickets in the second.
