SRI LANKA VS INDIA , 2ND ODI, 2024
Jeffrey Vandersay dismantled India’s top order with six wickets, leading Sri Lanka to a 32-run victory at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. This win gives the hosts a 1-0 lead in the series, ensuring they cannot lose the series with only one match remaining. Rohit Sharma was India’s top scorer with 64 runs, but his dismissal by Vandersay triggered India’s collapse. Vandersay also claimed the wickets of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul, securing a memorable win for Sri Lanka. Earlier, Washington Sundar’s three-wicket haul helped India restrict Sri Lanka to 240/9 in 50 overs in the second match of the three-game ODI series .
Toss
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first.
Two changes in Sri Lanka’s squad: Hasaranga and Shiraz were replaced by Kamindu Mendis and Jeffrey Vandersay.
India fielded the same playing XI.
Playing XIs
India:
Rohit Sharma (c) , Shubman Gill ,Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer , KL Rahul (w), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar ,Axar Patel ,Kuldeep Yadav ,Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
Sri Lanka:
Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (w) ,Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay
SRI LANKA INNINGS-
Sri Lanka lost Pathum Nissanka to an outswinger from Mohammed Siraj on the first ball of the match. However, Avishka Fernando (40) and Kusal Mendis (30) added 74 runs for the second wicket, stabilizing the innings despite Siraj’s challenging five-over opening spell.
The partnership was broken by Washington Sundar, who dismissed Fernando with a leading edge that was caught by the bowler. Sundar then took Mendis’s wicket in his next over, putting Sri Lanka in a precarious position with two new batters at the crease.
Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka struggled against the Indian spinners. Samarawickrama was caught off a mistimed slog against Axar Patel, while Asalanka was caught at short third man off a turning delivery. Kuldeep Yadav, introduced in the 20th over, bowled economically and took Janith Liyanage’s wicket in his sixth over.
At 136/6 after 35 overs, Sri Lanka was in trouble but found resilience in Dunith Wellalage (39) and Kamindu Mendis (40). The pair added crucial runs, pushing the total past 200. Mendis was dropped on 11 by Shivam Dube, which proved costly for India.
Wellalage hit boundaries off Axar Patel and Siraj before being caught by Dube. Mendis was run out on the penultimate ball of the innings due to a sharp effort from Shreyas Iyer. Mendis and Akila Dananjaya added a few boundaries in the final overs, with Sri Lanka scoring 79 runs in the last 10 overs. The seamers conceded 111 runs in 19 overs, overshadowing the spinners’ combined effort of 112/6 in 31 overs, which ultimately hurt India.
INDIA INNINGS-
India, having failed to chase 231 in the previous match, faced a target of 241 on a slower pitch. Rohit Sharma started aggressively, scoring a 29-ball fifty, his fourth in the first 10 overs of an ODI. Along with Shubman Gill, Rohit added 97 runs for the first wicket, hitting 5 fours and 4 sixes.
However, once Rohit fell to a reverse sweep, India collapsed, losing six wickets for 50 runs, all to Vandersay. Gill and Shivam Dube were dismissed in the same over, with Gill caught by Mendis in the slips and Dube trapped lbw by a legbreak. Virat Kohli was also pinned lbw by a flipper, marking the first time he had fallen lbw to a spinner in consecutive innings. Vandersay completed his maiden five-wicket haul by trapping Shreyas Iyer with a googly and then claimed his sixth wicket when KL Rahul chopped on, finishing with figures of 6 for 33.
Washington Sundar and Axar Patel tried to stabilize the innings with a 38-run stand, but Charith Asalanka dismissed both in consecutive overs, sealing the match for Sri Lanka. India was bowled out for 208 in 42.2 overs, losing nine wickets to spin.
Brief Scores
Sri Lanka: 240/9 (Mendis 40, Fernando 40, Wellalage 39; Sundar 3-30, Kuldeep 2-33)
India: 208 all out in 42.2 overs (Rohit 64; Vandersay 6-33)
Result: Sri Lanka won by 32 runs