India Struggles Without Rohit Sharma as Sri Lanka Force a Tie in First ODI

Leader Rohit Sharma performed on a unique ‘course’ compared to his fellow teammates, who were completely exposed against high-quality spin bowling as Sri Lanka managed to secure a draw against India in a low-scoring yet exciting first ODI in Colombo on Friday. In a pursuit of 231, skipper Rohit smashed 58 off 47 balls on a challenging pitch with inconsistent bounce, guiding his team to 71 in 10 overs. However, all the other batsmen appeared uncomfortable facing a group of Lankan spinners as skipper Charith Asalanka took wickets off consecutive deliveries to contribute to the 44th draw in ODI history.

When Shivam Dube (25) struck those two sixes and a boundary through the extra cover to level the scores, it appeared as though Sri Lanka’s troubles would persist. However, Asalanka took it upon himself to secure a psychological victory for the home team.

Rohit appeared sharp during his aggressive half-century, but the Indian middle-order struggled significantly, displaying their incompetence against slow bowlers.

After the Indian bowling squad collectively delivered a strong performance on a challenging pitch, limiting Sri Lanka to 230 for 8, Rohit’s 58 provided India with a strong start. However, things took a downward turn afterward as Sri Lanka’s group of spinners, led by Wanindu Hasaranga (3/58 in 10 overs), Akila Dananjaya (/140 in 10 overs), Dunith Wellalage (2/39 in 8 overs), and skipper Charith Asalanka (3/30 in 8.5 overs), not only restricted the run rate but also secured breakthroughs when necessary.

On a pitch where Rohit made batting appear exceptionally easy, KL Rahul (31 off 43 balls) seemed to once again adopt his usual cautious approach, which has often been detrimental to his team. By the time he lost his wicket, he failed to initiate a significant turnaround.

Virat Kohli (23), Shreyas Iyer (24), and Axar Patel (33) all made starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores.

However, Rohit appeared to be playing on a different level compared to all other batters on both teams. He began with an 88-metre six over cow corner off the third ball of India’s innings bowled by Asitha Fernando, then welcomed debutant pacer Mohamed Shiraz with a couple of boundaries and a powerful shot over deep mid-wicket for a six.

While Shubman Gill (16) struggled at the opposite end, Rohit treated the Lankan bowlers with disrespect.

Once he was given out leg-before attempting a slog sweep off Dananjaya, the pitch, which initially seemed ideal for batting, began to reveal its challenges.

The ball started to turn slightly more, and the inconsistent bounce caused confusion. Kohli was dismissed leg-before while Sundar fell victim to a fired-in delivery from Dananjaya. Iyer showed promise in his brief innings before a delivery from Fernando breached his defense.

Prior to that, intelligent fifties from Pathum Nissanka and Dunith Wellalage helped the hosts reach a competitive total.

Nissanka (56, 75b, 9×4) displayed intense focus while Wellalage (67 not out, 65b, 7×4, 2×6) showed confidence on a pitch that offered some turn after Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka chose to bat first.

Sri Lanka faced a shaky start to their innings when Mohammed Siraj removed Avishka Fernando, but Nissanka and Kusal Mendis (14) added 39 runs for a solid second wicket, leading to a minor recovery.

Similar to the T20I series before, the Islanders displayed a tendency to lose wickets unnecessarily from that point onwards.

This is not to diminish the impressive effort put in by the Indian bowlers, who forced several false shots from the Lankan batters.

Mendis was dismissed leg-before by Shivam Dube, who returned to one-day cricket after a five-year hiatus with that wicket.

From a relatively comfortable 46 for two, the Lankan innings quickly deteriorated to 101 for five in the 27th over.

Wellalage performed admirably after initially struggling against Kuldeep. His strong back-foot shot through the covers for four off Washington and a few other innovative shots were a testament to the youngster’s potential.

The left-hander, who added another 46 runs with Akila Dhananjaya for the eighth wicket, reached his first ODI fifty in 59 balls, helping his team surpass the 200-run mark that initially seemed out of reach.