KL Rahul expertly led India home with an unbeaten 64. Sri Lanka wrestled hard against India before losing the series 2-0.
After being bowled out for just 215, Sri Lanka did not give up the ball easily at Eden Gardens. A spin was enough for India, but it was the pace that kept Sri Lanka in the game. Chamika Karunaratne delivered the first breakthrough, and after Rohit Sharma fell behind, Lahiru Kumara attacked with fast bowling. Attacking Shubman Gill was caught mid-wicket after hitting Kumara into the border in succession. Shreyas Iyer looked well placed, scoring 5 limits for 28, but he fell against the tide when Kasun Rajitha caught him in India for just 86 LBW . They got out of trouble by a patient stand between Rahul and Hardik Pandya. The duo did not take undue risks, squeezing out 119 balls in 75 runs.
Once again in a difficult position, they were aided by Axar Patel’s attack. Patel dug deep into additional cover after scoring his 21 of his 30 runs shared with Rahul. Rahul quickly scored his twelfth ODI 50 and was able to put together the remaining 25 runs with the confident Kuldeep Yadav, who had the ball before as well.
Yadav was the leading destroyer as she unleashed a spectacular collapse to limit Sri Lanka to her 215 after deciding to hit.
A collapse saw them lose five wickets for 24 runs against the tide of play. Sri Lanka got off to a pretty good start. Plagued by the sailors’ supplies going away, Abishka Fernando sped up for 20 before being castled by Mohammad Siraj, who took the ball home.
Another lively stand ensued between Kusal Mendis and his Nuwanidu Fernando, a first-timer. The duo complemented each other and started off confidently against the Pacers. Umran Malik hit for 14 in the first over as the 50-run partnership managed only 46 balls. Mendis looked good and even managed to score his six to draw from Umran, but he was over when the spin was introduced.
Kuldeep Yadav, who replaced the injured Yuzvendra Chahal, started well and finished the first over with a wicket from Mendis, trapping LBW while missing a top spinner. The review confirmed field calls despite good bounces, despite tracking the ball and trimming the stumps. Finished a 73-run stand between the duo and started a fast slide.
Axar Patel, coming in from the other side, was just teeing off his second ball when Dhananjaya de Silva dodged the first. After Sri Lanka lost 2 of his 3 pitches, the debutant tried to stop the slide and had a half-century. That joy was short-lived, however, as he walked out shortly after Shubman Gill’s dive in the middle of the wicket caused confusion between the middle two batsmen.
118/4 looked like a special situation for just his 100-year-old skipper Dasun Shanaka. However, he was run over while trying to wipe out Kuldeep and he failed too. In his next over, a left-arm wrist spinner caught Challis Atharanka and bowled him from the front edge, pushing Sri Lanka to 126/6 and in danger of being bowled for under 200.
However, the lower order ensured a little more gap and run between wickets. The first to appear was Wanindu Hasaranga, in the over he defeated Kuldeep He Yadav by a cut boundary of 6 and he 2. But when India decided to attack him with Umran Malik’s extra pace, he clipped a catch at the end to score the point.
Dunith Wellalage then stringed together valid stands – his 25 with Chamika Karunaratne and his 38 with Kasun Rajitha – took Sri Lanka past his 200-run mark. Umran ended Karunaratne’s stay when Axar made a sharp catch on the back point and Siraj was able to quickly close the inning after Weralij pulled him for six. He has his Welllalage and gives his third catch on the back point just after Axar hits his 6th, then flips over Lahiru Kumara’s center stumps in less than 40 overs. I folded the inning.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 215 all out in 39.4 overs (Nuwanidu Fernando 50; Mohammad Siraj 3-30, Kuldeep Yadav 3-51) lost to India 219/6 (KL Rahul 64*, Hardik Pandya 36) by 4 wickets