(Source X)
Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana revealed his team’s strategy for India that contributed to their ODI series victory. Although Theekshana did not feature in the first two matches, he made a significant impact in the third ODI, finishing with figures of 2-45, including the crucial wickets of Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar.
Throughout the ODI series, Sri Lankan spinners consistently troubled the Indian batsmen. On pitches providing considerable turn, the renowned Indian batting lineup struggled, with the exception of captain Rohit Sharma.
Rohit Sharma delivered strong starts and scored briskly, but his teammates failed to build on the momentum, resulting in frequent wickets and enabling Sri Lanka to dominate all three games.
Maheesh Theekshana discloses Sri Lanka’s strategy for tackling India.
In the post-match press conference, Maheesh Theekshana discussed how Sri Lanka staged a remarkable comeback from their T20I series loss. He explained that the team used the setback in the T20I series as a motivating factor to secure victory in the ODI series.
“For me, it’s a confidence booster as a team. We lost the T20 series 3-0. The whole team was disappointed and we took it as a motivation. Very happy to play the last game and win the series after 1997. It’s a huge victory for us and I am really proud to be part of the XI,” Theekshana said.
Theekshana also outlined his team’s strategy against Indian batters, noting that they are accustomed to playing on favorable batting wickets with small boundaries. He added that the plan was to leverage the spin-friendly conditions at the R. Premadasa Stadium to their advantage.
“They usually play on good wickets” – Maheesh Theekshana
“They (India) usually play on good wickets and small boundaries in India. We knew playing in Premadasa, if there’s little bit turn, we can take advantage because we have good spinners,” the 24-year-old added.
Sri Lanka exposed India’s vulnerabilities against spin throughout the series. In the first ODI, Sri Lanka’s spinners claimed 9 wickets, with Wanindu Hasaranga and captain Charith Asalanka each taking three.
In the second ODI, leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay caused major problems with figures of 6-33, while Charith Asalanka contributed another three wickets, bringing the total spin dismissals to 9 for that match.
The pattern continued in the third ODI, but Sri Lankan spinners were even more effective. Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage captured a five-wicket haul, supported by Maheesh Theekshana and Jeffrey Vandersay, who each took two wickets. Overall, Sri Lanka’s spinners claimed 27 out of 30 wickets in the series.
Maheesh Theekshana praises the performance of Sri Lankan spinners
Meanwhile, Maheesh Theekshana also commended his teammates for maintaining pressure on India’s batters, which played a crucial role in securing a memorable series victory.
“Rohit came into bat and he attacked me, Asitha got a good start, came back and got Shubman, and then Wellalage was brilliant, Vandersay did a great job … Hasaranga in the first game, Akila bowled economically in both the games. I wanted to bowl more dot balls. It was a team effort. All the players contributed, that’s why we ended up winning 2-0,” said Theekshana.
Sri Lanka dismissed India for just 138 runs, securing a 110-run victory in the match. This triumph marked Sri Lanka’s first bilateral series win over India in 27 years, with their last series victory dating back to 1997.
