A single run was required from 14 balls when India seemed to have won the first ODI against Sri Lanka here at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday. However, Wanindu Hasaranga came in and sent back Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh off successive lbw decisions to finish the game in a fascinating tie.
What started off as a confident outlook for India soon turned into a stunned realization as the expected victory rolled over into a draw. At the end of the match, the captain of the Indian team, Rohit Sharma, expressed his disappointment at the opportunity lost but did not dwell on the matter too much.
"Missing out on a single run with 14 balls left is disappointing, but I am not going to think about it too much. The conditions changed as the game progressed. The ball became softer and shots were hard to play. We had to work our way through that. I am proud of that in fact. We could keep our calm under pressure," Rohit said.
Rohit's aggressive 58, with a 76-run opening partnership with Shubman Gill, set India off to a great start. Their fall saw India's innings lose steam, as the scoreboard slipped down to 136/5. It was left to Axar Patel and KL Rahul to stitch together a vital 57-run stand. Even as Dube hit some scintillating boundaries towards the end, India could not quite get over the line for a win that seemed in their grasp.
"The target was gettable, but it needed consistent batting. We had glimpses of good play, but it wasn't sustained. We started off well, but once the spinners came in, we lost our way. We lost a few wickets, but the partnership between Axar and Rahul was important in our comeback," said Rohit.
This was only the second time an ODI between India and Sri Lanka had ended in a draw—the previous one was in Adelaide in 2012. The Sri Lankan captain, Charith Asalanka, accepted that this was a very good spinning wicket, as he also took 3-30; so he knows a thing or two about bowling on these kinds of surfaces.
"We thought the total of 230 was good enough but could have done more to contain them further. The pitch did turn a lot more in the afternoon, and it was less testing after the lights," Asalanka said.
Dunith Wellalage, adjudged Player of the Match for his sterling allround effort of 67 not out and 2-39, said, "The spin did most of the damage. I wanted to put pressure on the batsmen with my spin. This partnership with Liyanage and later with Hasaranga was critical. The pitch got better in the second innings, but our captain and Hasaranga played important innings."
Few would have anticipated such an exhilarating finish to Friday's ODI opener that, on paper, was a no-contest affair between the two sides. With both teams going at each other once again for the second ODI on Sunday, the question would be if India can finally taste the victory which slipped out of their grasp in this pulsating encounter.
Read also | Gambhir has got a very clear mind as to what he wants to do with team: Rohit Sharm
