COLOMBO: Jeffrey Vandersay weaved magic, left India batters speechless and handed Sri Lanka a 1-0 lead in the series following their 32-run triumph in the second ODI on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium.
On a track that brought the best out of the spinners, the Indian team was left dazed and endured their first defeat under the reign of new head coach Gautam Gambhir.
“Sri Lanka” chants reverberated throughout the stadium when skipper Charith Asalanka and the rest of his teammates left the Indian team stunned by their dazzling performance with the spin.
Vandersay, who came in as the replacement for injured Wanindu Hasaranga, didn’t allow the team to miss the presence of their star spinner. He made early inroads while defending their total of 240/9.
India captain Rohit Sharma once again went all guns blazing after Dunith Wellalage was handed the ball to bowl the fourth over. With three boundaries, Rohit racked up 13 runs to lay the foundation for the onslaught that was about to unfold at R Premadasa Stadium.
Rohit took the mantle of scoring the majority of runs, and in 13.2 overs, he forged a 97-run stand with Shubman Gill. Rohit (64) perished while trying to pull off a reverse sweep against Vandersay.
The floodgates opened after Rohit’s dismissal, and Vandersay removed the next five batters to reduce India to 147/6. Axar Patel tried to raise hopes of a comeback with his valiant run-a-ball 44 and was the only player who resisted Sri Lanka’s spin trap.
Asalanka pitched in with a three-wicket haul to completely take away the game from India’s hands. After Arshdeep Singh got run out, India bundled out on 208 in 42.2 overs.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to bat against India. Last match’s half-centurion, Pathum Nissanka, departed for a first-ball duck off Mohammed Siraj. Later, Avishka and Kusal stitched a partnership, reaching the 50-run mark in 12.2 overs.
Avishka (40 runs from 62 balls) and Kusal Mendis (30 runs from 42 balls) stitched a partnership of 74 runs until Fernando was dismissed by Washington Sundar in the 17th over. Fernando’s knock had five fours, and he looked really solid before Sundar caught and bowled him. Sri Lanka was 74/2 in 17 overs.
Sundar dismissed Kusal quickly as well, trapping him leg-before-wicket for 30 runs with three boundaries. SL was 79/3 in 18.3 overs. SL reached the 100-run mark in 24.5 overs.
Sadeera Samarawickrama (14 runs from 31 balls) seemed to be developing a promising partnership with the Sri Lankan skipper Charith Asalanka (25 runs from 42 balls), but it lasted for just 32 runs before Sadeera’s knock came to an end with a fine catch from Virat Kohli, giving Axar Patel his first wicket. SL was 111/4 in 26.4 overs.
The Indian spinners continued their dominance, with Asalanka and Janith Liyanage (12 runs from 29 balls) being picked by Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, respectively. SL was 136/6 in 34.5 overs.
Rohit Sharma rolled up his sleeves for two overs and gave eleven runs.
Dunith Wellalage (39 runs from 35 balls, one four and two sixes), the hero of the last match for Sri Lanka, took on Axar Patel, hitting him a six and a four in the 39th over. He stitched a strong partnership with Kamindu Mendis (40 runs from 44 balls, with four boundaries). Another lower-order resistance was in the works.
SL reached the 150-run mark in 38.3 overs and the 200-run mark in 45.3 overs. Their 72-run partnership was ended by Kuldeep, who removed Wellalage. SL was 208/7 in 46.1 overs. Kamindu and Akila Dananjaya (15) lost their wickets to run out in the final over, with Jeffrey Vandersay (1*) staying unbeaten as Sri Lanka scored 240/9 in their 50 overs.
Washington Sundar was the top bowler, he scalped three wickets and gave 30 runs in his 10 overs. Kuldeep Yadav gave away 33 runs in his 10-over spell, picking up two wickets.
Brief score: Sri Lanka 240/9 (Kamindu Mendis 40, Avishka Fernando 40, Dunith Wellalage 39; Washington Sundar 3/30) vs India 208 (Rohit Sharma 64, Axar Patel 44; Jeffrey Vandersay 6-33). (ANI)