(PTI Photo)
India faced a heavy 110-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the final ODI, resulting in a 0-2 series loss. The ODI World Cup 2023 finalists made multiple changes to their batting lineup throughout the series, which may have contributed to their downfall. Captain Rohit Sharma, however, had a different perspective. He noted that the batters did not effectively use the sweep shot against spinners and relied too heavily on advancing down the pitch, leading to their dismissals.
In the second ODI, spinner Jeffrey Vandersay dominated with a six-wicket haul, and in the third match, he took two wickets while 21-year-old Dunith Wellalage claimed five. The Indian team struggled against spin throughout the series and failed to assert their dominance, a factor Rohit Sharma identified as crucial to their defeat.
Rohit Sharma pointed to the performances of Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis as examples of effective batting, noting how they scored significant runs by exploiting gaps on the square and employing smart strategies. He admitted that Indian players failed to adopt similar tactics and acknowledged the errors made by his team. Rohit also praised the Sri Lankan spinners for their consistent effectiveness throughout the series.
“They were consistent with sweeps, taking their chances. There weren’t a lot of runs scored down the ground. They didn’t use the feet as much as we expected. It was about using sweeps and piercing that deep square leg and midwicket field. That is something we failed to do as a batting unit. We didn’t play enough sweeps, reverse sweeps, or paddle sweeps, and used our feet too much. That was the difference,” Rohit was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“If you look at Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando today, they got a lot of runs square of the wicket. They were using the turn, and sweeping, making the fielder move left and right. They were smart with how they batted and we were not. All in all, we need to admit where we have made mistakes, we didn’t dominate against spin. On such wickets, you need to dominate a bit and the Sri Lankan spinners had consistently kept us under pressure in all three games,” he added.
India is scheduled to play three additional ODIs against England before competing in the Champions Trophy, which is set to occur in February and March.
