The first One Day International (ODI) played between India and Sri Lanka at Colombo ended in a thrilling tie that highlighted India’s weakness against quality spin bowling despite the skipper, Rohit Sharma, having a dominant performance.
India chased down 231, courtesy of a blistering 58 from captain Rohit off 47 balls. His inning was peppered with some powerful shots and aggression which contrasted sharply with the struggles of his teammates against a disciplined spin attack led by Sri Lanka.
Rohit’s dismissal, leg before wicket (lbw), meant that he had exposed the Indian team’s weakness against spinners at this level. The track had turned benign but during his stay on it started to grip and bounce, thus making life difficult for Indian batters in the middle order.
KL Rahul (31 off 43 balls), known for his measured approach, struggled to rotate the strike, putting pressure on the incoming batsmen. Virat Kohli (23), Shreyas Iyer (24), and Axar Patel (33) all got starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores.
Sri Lanka’s diligent bowlers especially Wanindu Hasaranga (3/58), Akila Dananjaya (1/40), Dunith Wellalage (2/39) and their skipper Charith Asalanka (3/30) choked runs at crucial points while also taking some wickets through tricks. Asalanka turned things around for Sri Lankans when he took two wickets in two balls swinging momentum back towards his team.
Earlier, Sri Lanka decided to bat first after which they were proppe up by half-centuries from Pathum Nissanka (56) and debutant Dunith Wellalage (67&*). Nissanka anchored an innings with a composed knock while Wellalage showed maturity beyond years as he guided Sri Lanka past 200.
The Indian bowlers were very impressive on a helpful track despite ending the match in a tie. Mohammed Siraj picked up an early wicket, while Shivam Dube returned to the ODI side after a five-year break with some decent performance. Kuldeep Yadav bowled economically even as he remained wicket less that put the Sri Lankan batsmen under pressure.
India’s over-reliance on Rohit Sharma and their vulnerability against spin was expose in this game where it ended in a tie thanks to late hitting from Shivam Dube. This served as a reminder that although India have one of the strongest batting line-ups in world cricket, addressing their vulnerability against quality spin attack could lead them towards being consistently successful in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
