Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his disappointment over the 32-run defeat against Sri Lanka in the second ODI, describing it as painful. He mentioned that there would be discussions about the batting performance during the middle overs after the match on Sunday.
India struggled against leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who claimed six wickets, leading to their collapse for 208 while chasing a target of 241. This highlighted their vulnerability against spin bowling once again.
"When you lose a game, everything hurts. It's not just about those 10 overs (when India lost six wickets for 50 runs). You have to play consistent cricket and we failed to do that. Little disappointed but these things happen," Rohit stated during the post-match presentation.
"We weren't good enough. Don't want to look too much into how we played. But there'll be talks about our batting in the middle overs," he added.
Rohit emphasized the need for Indian batsmen to quickly adapt to the conditions they face.
"You got to adapt to what's in front of you. With left-right (combination of batsmen), we felt it'll be easier to rotate strike. But credit to Jeffrey, he got six wickets."
Despite the setback, the 37-year-old skipper affirmed that his approach would remain unchanged.
"The reason I got 65 is because of the way I batted. When I am batting like that, there's a lot of risks taken. If you don't cross the line, you always feel disappointed. But I don't want to compromise on my intent. We understand nature of this surface, it gets really tough in the middle overs. You have to try to get as many as possible in the powerplay," he added.
Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka felt their total of 240 was adequate under the circumstances.
"I was happy with the score -- 240 was good enough. As a captain, I like this kind of problems (plenty of spin options). It was an unbelievable spell by him (Vandersay)."
However, Asalanka expressed his desire to contribute more with the bat in the next match.
"I am mainly a batter, and I have to score runs. After that, I can bowl a few overs," he said.
Player of the match, Vandersay, acknowledged the pressure he faced coming in as a replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga, who was sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
"There was a lot of pressure coming into the side. I am coming out of a layoff. It is easier to take credit (for myself). But I want to give credit to the batters as well, who put 240 runs on board."
The 34-year-old emphasized the importance of continuously pushing himself to secure a regular spot in the team.
"Hasaranga is our No. 1 spinner. I got to understand the atmosphere of the team and team balance. I have to keep pushing myself."
Vandersay also mentioned that taking the wicket of Rohit Sharma boosted his confidence.
"There was assistance in the wicket, I was trying to hit the good areas. Once I got my first wicket (Rohit), that built up my confidence," he said.
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