(Aug 03), After Sri Lanka secured an exciting draw in the opening One-Day International, Rohit Sharma contemplated the historic Indian batting collapse.
Why does Team India feel like they lost even though it was a tie? In classic Hitman fashion, Rohit Sharma declared his return for Friday’s One Day International (ODI) series opener at R. Premadasa Stadium against Sri Lanka. With his blistering 58 off 47 balls, Rohit took care of all the heavy lifting, making sure opener Shubman Gill takes a backseat. After the Indian openers took the visitors to 75-0 in just 13 overs, Team India was favored by the bookmakers to finish the 231-run chase with several overs remaining.
What followed perfectly encapsulated Rohit’s “these things happened” statement from the post-match. Days after achieving a mini-diploma in crash-and-burn finals, Sri Lanka’s opponents were dealt a stunning defeat. In the 48th over, Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka bowled when India needed just five runs from eighteen balls. With the ninth wicket, off-spinner Asalanka dismissed an on-song Shivam Dube (lbw) for 25, exposing Team India’s batting ineptitude.
Asalanka’s Houdini act
Arshdeep Singh was dismissed by Asalanka on the following ball, pulling off a Houdini act that set up an exciting conclusion to the match. After the first game of the series ended in a tie in Colombo, his two-for-two performance saved a draw for Sri Lanka. None of the Indian hitters, including Virat Kohli (24), KL Rahul (31), Shreyas Iyer (23) and Axar Patel (33), Dube, or the Gautam Gambhir-coached team, capitalized on their opening deliveries to win the game. Who bears the responsibility for the massive collapse in India?
Disappointed to not get that one run with 14 balls
During the press conference held after the match, Indian captain Rohit expressed his graciousness in losing. “You have to bat well to get that score, but it was reachable. We played solid batting in spurts, but we lacked a steady forward motion. Although the game would begin as soon as the spin started, we had a good start. We fell behind after losing a few wickets, Rohit stated. “We returned by way of the stand that separated Rahul and Axar. The skipper continued, “I won’t read too much, but I’m disappointed not to get that one run with 14 balls.”
Great Indian collapse
Despite Rohit’s explosive start, India’s low-scoring match against Sri Lanka ended in an all-out 230 all-out in 47.5 overs. In the 50-over match, Wanindu Hasaranga (3), Charith Asalanka (3), and Dunith Wellalage (2) shared six wickets with Wellalage (2), whose career-best knock of 67 (65) helped Sri Lanka to 230-8.
The tie was only the second between the two teams in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) with no Super Over clause. “The ball had bite at first, but as the seam wore off, it got softer. You couldn’t play your shots (straightway) in this game. You had to put in the effort and work hard. Proud of our fighting style, but maintaining our composure was crucial, Rohit said.
