The script was eerily much like the primary ODI a few nights again. In contrast to Friday, it was not a collective effort, however the solo act of the brand new protagonist Jeffrey Vandersay. For practically 9 years, whereas toiling onerous within the home circuit, the leg-spinner has been out and in of the aspect unable to seize a headline second. Because of Indian top-order, quickly after the sundown within the Colombo skies, the 34-year-old opened the outdated wounds for Rohit Sharma & Co, along with his six-wicket haul giving Sri Lanka a 32-run win. A primary ODI collection win towards India since 1997 is in Sri Lanka’s sight, offered they don’t lose the ultimate match on Wednesday.
Chasing 240 – 10 greater than what was wanted on Friday – on a good slower pitch, India knew they’d a job of their fingers. In situations the place spinners had been within the sport all through, they needed to reread the textbooks and choose the correct guide for pitches like this. Head coach Gautam Gambhir might have lent them a few of his. However with a military of spinners testing them with flip and bounce, sowing seeds of doubts, India’s batting line-up apart from Rohit froze once more. When Vandersay got here on to bowl within the twelfth over, India had been comfortably positioned at 80/0. By the point he completed his first spell within the twenty fourth over, India had been decreased to 147/6. Vandersay’s game-changing spell learn: 7-0-26-6.
It was nearly as good as Ajantha Mendis 6/13 towards India within the 2008 Asia Cup ultimate at Karachi. The one distinction although is there may be nothing mysterious about Vandersay. The one query although is why he hasn’t been an everyday in a crew that has fallen off the pecking order. Since getting his worldwide cap in 2015, he had performed solely 22 ODIs and 14 T20Is earlier than this Sunday. His lone headline second got here in 2018 when he was handed a one-year suspension by the Sri Lankan board for a night-out in St Lucia. If Wanindu Hasaranga didn’t choose up an harm within the first ODI, he wouldn’t even been within the dressing room as he joined on Saturday as a alternative.
Kamindu Mendis grabs a blinder to ship Shubman Gill packing 🤯
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However from the second he got here on, it was inevitable his overs would decide the course of the match. Rohit and Shubman Gill had already focused Dunith Wellalage. Even Akila Dhananjaya wasn’t spared early on as India’s intent to not let the Lankan spinners settle went in keeping with their blueprint.
However Vandersay’s arrival change {that a} bit. Having seen him bowl a quiet first over, Rohit went for a reverse-sweep – a uncommon occasion of him dashing by the shot – which was caught brilliantly by a diving Pathum Nissanka at backward level.
Procession begins
A procession ensued. Off his subsequent over, Gill and Virat Kohli would poke him tentatively. Then within the subsequent over, Vandersay consumed Gill, whose thick edge was pouched by a diving Kamindu Mendis at slip. Three balls later, he trapped Shivam Dube in entrance. India reacted by selling Axar Patel, however it made little distinction. Off his fifth over, he trapped Kohli with a leg-spinner with the batsman responsible of enjoying the flawed line.
The match was slipping away from India’s grip. They wanted a peaceful head to tide by this testing spell, however Vandersay was in no temper to accept something much less. He continued to maintain it easy and he can be rewarded with the dismissal of Shreyas Iyer in his sixth over. By the point Rahul was out within the subsequent over, the sport was in Lanka’s bag. Axar and Washington Sundar would attempt to delay the inevitable, however Charith Asalanka’s part-time off-spin completed the job that Vandersay started.
It was a Vandersay particular tonight! 🌪️
His six-wicket haul towards India, a career-best, was the magic we wanted.🪄 🏏 What a efficiency! #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/TH3PADrgfr
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) August 4, 2024
Their batting collapse overshadowed the bowling efforts of Axar, Washington and Kuldeep Yadav. Within the 29 overs between them, they conceded solely 101 runs and picked up 6 wickets with the off-spinner being the choose of the lot. They had been extra economical than the three principal Lankan spinners, however the distinction was how properly the hosts’ batting line-up utilized themselves collectively on the pitch.
None of them touched 50 with Avishka Fernando’s and Kamindu Mendis 40 being the top-score. However all of them eschewed the dangerous pictures and fortunately went for the deft touches and labored the spinners round for singles and twos. Towards the seamers, particularly within the demise overs, they opened up. On the finish of the 40 overs, Sri Lanka had simply 161 on board and had simply 4 wickets left. However a few large overs off Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep and a 12-run over from Axar would propel their whole past India’s attain.
Temporary scores: Sri Lanka 240/9 in 50 overs. (Avishka 40, Kamindu 40, Wellalage 39; Washington 3/30, Kuldeep 2/33) bt India 208 in 42.2 overs (Rohit 64, Axar 44; Vandersay 6/33, Asalanka 3/20) by 32 runs.