SL vs IND Match Highlights And Report-3rd ODI: A victory by a huge margin of 110 runs in the third ODI helped Sri Lanka end a 27-year wait as they clinched their first ODI series over India since 1997.
The first ODI of this series was tied; the second was won by Sri Lanka by 32 runs. But the margin of victory in the third game reflected how Sri Lanka simply outperformed India on Wednesday.
All three games followed a similar pattern. Sri Lanka’s top-order scored runs; their middle-order fumbled and posted totals that reminded fans of the 1990s. India got off to blazing starts from Rohit Sharma before suffering shocking collapses.
SL vs IND Match Highlights And Report-3rd ODI
For the third game in a row, Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to bat first. This time, the hosts got even more formidable outings from their top-order than they did in the previous two games.
Pathum Nissanka, who was dismissed for a golden duck by Siraj in the previous match, started off with a couple of fours in the first over. Nissanka and Avishka Fernando were steady, managing 41 runs in the first 10 overs before the former launched two sixes to Axar. However, the left-arm spinner had the last laugh over Nissanka, who was dismissed for 45, breaking the 89-run opening stand.
Fernando and Kusal Mendis then kicked-on a brilliant partnership of 82 (94). Fernando, who had been kept quiet early on, was now the aggressive one, scoring 53 (48) in this stand and moved towards a much-awaited century. He also pulled Siraj for a couple of eye-catching sixes.
However, Fernando was dismissed on 96 by Riyan Parag, who became the golden arm for India in this game as Sri Lanka suffered another middle-order collapse. Parag dismissed Asalanka lbw and bowled Dunith Wellalage. From the other end, Siraj and Washington Sundar picked their first wickets in the form of Sadeera Samarawickrama and Janith Liyanage as Sri Lanka went from 171/1 to 199/6.
As has been the theme in the first two ODIs, Sri Lanka got a contribution from the lower order with Kamindu Mendis scoring 23 crucial runs off 19 deliveries which took them to 248, the highest total of this series.
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In the chase, once again Rohit Sharma got off to a flying start. After flicking a boundary on the first ball, he tore into Maheesh Theekshana with four fours and a six. But the tide turned quickly as Asitha Fernando knocked over Shubman Gill.
From thereon, the Sri Lankan spinners were all over the Indian batters. Dunith Wellalage got rid of Rohit, as the ball took the outside edge of Rohit’s bat while he had a wild swing. Theekshana had Rishabh Pant stumped before Wellalage trapped Virat Kohli for an lbw dismissal.
Wellalage then delivered a double-wicket over that included the wickets of Shreyas Iyer (lbw) and Axar Patel (bowled).
Jeffrey Vandersay, Sri Lanka’s hero in the previous game, castled Parag before dismissing Shivam Dube. Sundar hit three sixes but it was all going to in vain as India eventually were bowled out for 138.
Score summary: Sri Lanka 248/7 in 50 overs (Avishka Fernando 96, Riyan Parag 3/54); India 138/10 in 26.1 overs (Rohit Sharma 35, Dunith Wellalage 5/27). Sri Lanka defeated India by 110 runs.
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