The first game of the three-match ODI series ended in a tie at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, August 2. Catch the highlights of the IND vs SL, 1st ODI match, right here
The first ODI between India and Sri Lanka is slated to begin at 2:30pm IST, with the toss at 2pm unless rain plays truant. This will be the first time seniors pros Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will play under the mentorship of new head coach Gautam Gambhir. (Streaming | Scorecard | More Cricket News)
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant(w), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Harshit Rana.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Mohamed Shiraz, Chamika Karunaratne, Akila Dananjaya, Kamindu Mendis, Nishan Madushka, Eshan Malinga.
The two teams have faced off 169 times in one-day internationals, and India have won 99 of those games. Sri Lanka have won 57, while 11 have ended without result and one game was tied.
The third T20I between India and Sri Lanka was an utterly dramatic affair. With nine runs to get off the last 12 balls for the hosts, captain Suryakumar Yadav introduced part-timer Rinku Singh into the attack and then bowled the last over himself. Both moves paid off big time, as they picked up two wickets apiece to trigger a collapse which lead to a Super Over. India cantered home there, with Surya smashing a four off the very first ball to chase down the target of three runs in a jiffy.
Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat first.
Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka(c), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando, Mohamed Shiraz
India XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj
With the surface looking a little dry and the sun beating down, it could open up the strip and aid spin. No major covering of grass, and the ball is expected to spin. However, batting could be much easier under light with the ball coming on a little better.
Both teams are out there in the middle. The officials are in the middle too. Siraj has the new ball, while Avishka and Nissanka open for Sri Lanka.
Mohammed Siraj starts off with an over that is more or less in the off-stick channel, tempting the batter to drive. Sri Lankan openers on the other hand see off a couple of nippers and also get their first boundary of the innings.
After winning the toss and opting to have a bat, Sri Lanka have been dealt with an early blow as they lose Avishka Fernando early for just one. Mohammed Siraj has stuck to his plans and it has paid off so far.
After losing Avishka Fernando for just one, Pathum Nissanka has taken a bit of an counter-attacking approach and has hit four boundaries in total, while his partner Kusal Mendis has been super cautious.
Sri Lanka have taken the catching-up-game seriously after an early wicket and have made it look easy thanks to Nissanka. However, for India a tough chance has gone down begging. Rohit has made a few interesting calls to look for a breakthrough.
After a small Lankan rebuild from Nissanka and Mendis, Shivam Dube picked up his maiden ODI wicket to send the latter back to the hut for 14 from 31 deliveries. Sadeera Samarawickrama has joined Nissanka in the middle and the duo would want to hold fort for the hosts.
India continue to apply pressure on the Sri Lankan batting unit as the hosts are in a spot of both with Samarawickrama, the latest to walk back after a disapponting showing. Nissanka, fighting a lone battle will need support for the Lankans to put up a decent total.
The spinners are making the ball talk as the surface starts to sligtly offer much more for the slow bowlers. The Sri Lankan support staff watches on as the side continues to lose wickets at crucial phases. In a lot of trouble now with almost half the side gone but not much runs on the board.
The Indian spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar have trigged a collapge as the lone fighting Pathum Nissanka had to walk back after a well made fifty. With half the side back in the pavilion watching a poor batting display, things don't look good for Sri Lanka.
Dunith Wellalage and Janith Liyanage have started yet another small rebuild as the visitors are bowling, completing their overs at a rate of knots. India have been disciplined throughout with their line and lengths and the scorecard speaks for itself.
India continue to pick wickets at regular intervals as bad turns worse for Sri Lanka having lost six wickets for not much on the board. However, with Hasaranga having joined Wellalage, they will aim to put up a decent, respectable total.
Hasaranga and Wellalage have stitched a small, yet much-needed partnership for Sri Lanka as they slowly close in around the 170-mark after 40 overs. The hosts will aim to reach at least 220 runs with ten overs left in the tank. However, they will need to be a little cautious about the wickets column.
Sri Lanka close in on the 200 barrier with just five overs left to play. The visitors will be hoping for a final flurry from Wellalage to take them close to 220. With the spin trio available, the hosts could potentially make a match out of it, but will need to bowl out of their skins.
Sri Lanka finish on xx. After good start by the Indian seamers, the spinners took control and spun a web in Colombo where the hosts just could not break free. Almost all bowlers chipped in with wickets, however, the Gill experiment failed as he gave away 14 runs. The hosts will not be pleased with their batting effort but will be hopeful of a better showing with the ball.
"Wicket - little bit turning. I knew it was turning, so I tried to play my normal game. The wicket was slow and I tried to sweep the ball and rotate the strike. They (India) have a good batting line-up but 231 is a good score. We have No. 1 bowler - Wanindu Hasaranga - and good fast bowlers. We can give a good fight. Not easy to bat on. With good bowling partnerships and dot balls, it's not easy to bat here."
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill take India are off to a perfect start. The intentions seem to be clear right from the get-go. Sri Lanka will need early wickets for them to at least have a chance, and powerplay wickets will be crucial.
Rohit Sharma is in the zone, locked-in. He's been taking the Sri Lankan bowlers to all parts of Colombo, and has raced to 37* from just 21 deliveries. Gill, on the other hand, is playing second fiddle, but has the best seat in the house.
Rohit Sharma continues to play free flowing cricket and the range of shots is showing. India have motored their way to 59 in just nine overs, chasing 231. Gill, on the other hand, is batting at a strike rate of 50.
Sri Lanka slowly had started to build pressure, and the economical overs has paid off. The left-arm spinner Wellalage gets Gill for just 16. It was on the cards after such a cautious looking innings. Wellalage, the man with both bat and ball for Sri Lanka.
Wellalage triggered a Sri Lankan fightback and Dhananjaya now joins the fight. The spinners have picked up three wickets in quick succession. Washinton Sundar's batting promotion does not yield India good results and are in a little bit of trouble.
After losing three wicket wickets, Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli have calmed all the nerves in the Indian dressing room with a small rebuild. The duo look sound and solid. However, the game is nicely poised with the visitors needing 122 more.
Sri Lanka have been shown resilience, fight and have been super disciplined after the powerplay and have also reaped rewards. India are slightly ahead but have kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Anyone's game from here. The hosts will be thrilled to be in this situation after a poor batting display.
The visitors lost Shreyas Iyer quickly after losing Virat Kohli and have been put under a bit of pressure with half their side gone. Axar Patel and KL Rahul will be expected to endure the pressure, break the shackles and take India home.
Sri Lanka are starting to complete their overs quickly and are racing along. KL Rahul and Axar Patel have been slow, not looking to take the attack to the opposition but have played the conditions well. India will want the two to keep going, while Sri Lanka will be hopeful for a wicket or two.
The KL Rahul-Axar Patel partnership has once again put India in the driver's with under 50 runs needed for victory. Sri Lanka are throwing everything they have but have been unsuccessful in breaking open this pair.
Just when things looked under control for India, Sri Lanka somehow fight back and have two quick wickets, and two big ones. Rahul, Axar, both back in the hurt and the visitors are breathing heavy again. What a content to kick-off the ODI series. We still don't have a winner.
India will have all their hopes on Shivam Dube who is the only recognised batter out there in the middle for the visitors. India need 15 runs with two wickets in hand. Surely, Dube finishes it from here? Few hits away..
That match had a bit of everything. Good batting, great batting, bite of the surface, sensational fielding, drama and a thrilling end. India, somehow thought they had pull off the chase with two wickets in hand, but Asalanka had other ideas. After a poor batting display, Sri Lanka fought till the very end and it was just enough to get a tie. Back-to-back tied games. However, there won't be a super over as the series stays 0-0 for now.
"I came with a plan. The wicket was turning. I wanted to put their bowlers under pressure. Me and Janith wanted to put some partnership. After that, I had a good partnership with Hasaranga. The wicket was slow. We planned to score 220. Wicket was little bit good during the second innings. Our skipper and Wanindu Hasaranga changed the game. We played a wonderful match today."
"The score was gettable, you had to bat well to get there. We batted well in patches. No consistent momentum. We had the upper hand, we lost a couple of wicket. With the KL-Axar partnership, we came back. Little disappointing at the end. These things happened. Sri Lanka played well. In the end, it was a fair result. It (pitch) remained the same. It's not where you can come and play your shots. You have to dig in. The game shifted towards both teams at different times. We should have got that one run."
"I did (believe we can defend the total), we should have done a bit more well to restrict them. It turned more in the afternoon. Under lights, it became easier to bat. (Bowling himself) The left-hander came in to bat and I felt I could bowl as it spun a lot. I am happy with the the energy in the field. Dunith's knock and Nissanka batted really well."
Phew, what a day, what a game! Just had everything. We will catch you soon. Until next time, good night and take care.