After experiencing consecutive losses in two One Day International (ODI) matches, India aims to secure a draw in their three-match series against Sri Lanka. India tied the first match but lost the second due to the skillful bowling of Sri Lanka’s spinners.
In a dramatic turn of events, the team went from 97 runs without losing a wicket to being all out at 208 while chasing 241 runs at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The difficulties faced by the middle-order against spin bowling were evident in both matches.
Although captain Rohit Sharma made an aggressive start early in the innings, India found it hard to chase the target comfortably and struggled significantly against the spinners during the middle part of the game.
After Rohit (64 runs off 44 balls) and Shubman Gill (35 runs off 44 balls) combined for a 97-run partnership, the Indian batting lineup lost 6 wickets in the next 50 runs, putting themselves in a deep predicament.
Jeffrey Vandersay, a 34-year-old leg spinner, took all 6 wickets, causing the strong Indian batting lineup to struggle in the conditions that favored spin bowling. Spin bowlers from India, Shivam Dube (0 runs off 4 balls), Shreyas Iyer (7 runs off 9 balls), and KL Rahul (0 runs off 2 balls), didn’t perform well against the Sri Lankan team on Sunday. Experienced Indian batsman Virat Kohli also had a tough time, scoring 14 runs off 19 balls, and was fortunate to be saved by a controversial decision using the DRS system earlier in his innings.
India will definitely try to fix their mistakes for the next match, but the question is whether they will introduce new players or stick with their current lineup for the third and final match of the series.
India has two choices to consider. One option is to include Rishabh Pant in the team as a special player to counter the spin bowlers, which might mean leaving out KL Rahul or Shivam Dubey. The other option is to rest Shivam Dubey and bring in Riyan Parag, who has been waiting on the bench for two games. Parag is a useful spinner and could perform well in the spin-heavy conditions in Colombo, where Sri Lanka’s part-time spinners have been very effective.
Regardless of the decisions made, India must remember that they have never lost a one-day international series against Sri Lanka since 1997. Rohit Sharma, especially after returning to the one-day format following India’s loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup, would not want to break that record. This situation will also be a test of Gautam Gambhir’s character as a coach, as the decisions he makes will show his strategic thinking and influence his coaching career.
India Predicted Playing XI
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul/Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube/Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed
