The Indian batting lineup faced a tough challenge from the Sri Lankan spinners in the third ODI, resulting in a 110-run defeat for Rohit Sharma’s team. Led by Dunith Wellalage’s five-wicket haul, Sri Lanka claimed a series victory with a 2-0 lead. This marks their first bilateral ODI series win against India since 1997. Despite a good start in the chase for India, they were bowled out for 138 runs while chasing 249.
Wellalage, who had been impactful with the bat earlier, turned the tables with the ball, taking five crucial wickets for 27 runs. Avishka Fernando’s 96 helped Sri Lanka set a competitive total of 248 for seven.
Rohit Sharma’s aggressive start was halted when he fell to Wellalage after a quick 35 runs. The rest of the Indian batting lineup struggled against the Sri Lankan spinners, with several key players falling victim to lbw and clean bowled dismissals.
Sri Lanka’s strategy of exploiting the turning pitch worked well, with Theekshana’s comments about the advantage of playing in such conditions adding insult to injury for India.
Before the spinners took control, Fernando and Kusal laid a solid foundation for Sri Lanka’s innings. Despite some resistance from Indian bowlers like Parag and Yadav, Fernando’s aggressive innings pushed Sri Lanka ahead.
However, Sri Lanka’s total was bolstered by partnerships between Fernando and Nissanka, as well as Fernando and Kusal, before the latter’s dismissal at a crucial juncture. Late contributions from Kamindu Mendis helped Sri Lanka set a challenging target for India.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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