Sri Lanka beats India: Sri Lanka had defeated Team India in an ODI match in 2021. With this victory after three years, it now has a chance to win the series, which it has been waiting for the last 27 years. The last match of the series will be played on 7 August.
Sri Lanka took a 1-0 lead in the 3 match series.Image Credit: PTI
If in the first match, Team India was forced to settle for a tie after coming so close to victory, then in the second ODI, Sri Lanka did not let them even get a tie. For the second time in 3 days in Colombo, Sri Lanka trapped Team India in the web of spin. In the second match of the ODI series, Sri Lanka defeated India by 32 runs and with this, gained a 1-0 lead in the series. Once again, Indian batting failed in this match and Sri Lankan spinner Jeffrey Vandersay gave an amazing performance and took 6 wickets. Due to this performance of Vandersay, Indian captain Rohit Sharma's quick half-century innings also went in vain.
On Sunday, August 4, the pitch of Premadasa Stadium in Colombo was behaving exactly like the pitch of the fourth day of a Test match in India or Sri Lanka. Where the ODI white Kookaburra ball was making the batsmen dance more than the red ball. Once again, Team India started it, for which Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav were seen doing well. With the help of these two and Akshar Patel's excellent spell, Team India stopped Sri Lanka at 240 runs, but this score could have been even less, if Sri Lanka's lower order had not shown strength.
Bad start, Vellalage regained control
Mohammad Siraj took the wicket of Pathum Nissanka on the very first ball of the match, after which there was a good partnership of 74 runs between Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis. Sundar sent both of them back to the pavilion in 2 consecutive overs and brought Team India back. Even after this, the Sri Lankan batsmen kept losing wickets to the Indian spinners after staying at the crease and in the 35th over the score was 136 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.
From here, it did not seem possible for Sri Lanka to reach even 200 runs, but the star of the last match, Dunith Vellalage, stood firm again. Vellalage got help from Kamindu Mendis, who was given a lifeline by Shivam Dubey when he was on just 11 runs. Both of them made a brilliant partnership of 72 runs and brought the team to a position to compete. On the basis of the innings of these two, Sri Lanka scored 240 runs after losing 9 wickets.
