In a thrilling game filled with twists and turns, Sri Lanka managed to secure a tie against India. With just one run needed and Shivam Dube on strike, this seemed unlikely. However, Charith Asalanka and his team didn’t give up. Asalanka successfully reviewed to trap Dube in front of the wickets, and then Arshdeep Singh was dismissed in similar fashion, sealing the dramatic outcome in the first ODI. India, who had been in control for most of the match, will be disappointed as none of their batters managed to finish the job. This is the second time an ODI between India and Sri Lanka has ended in a tie.
Sri Lanka will view the tie as a victory, considering their precarious position when Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were batting. Gill fell early, while Rohit scored a quick fifty but couldn’t build on it. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer played sensibly, accumulating runs through singles and doubles. Yet, India lost both of them in quick succession, leaving the match on a knife’s edge. Axar Patel and KL Rahul steadied the ship in the middle overs but couldn’t finish the game. Dube brought India close, but Sri Lanka held on to force the tie.
Asalanka’s clever bowling changes kept India in check. He was focussed on taking wickets rather than just containing the run rate.
Earlier in the game, Indian pacers Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep started strong, moving the ball and troubling the batters. The Sri Lankan innings was stabilised by a small partnership between Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis. However, just when the partnership began to look threatening, Dube dismissed Mendis.
The spin trio of Axar, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar took charge of the middle overs, sharing four wickets among them, with Axar being the standout performer. Dunith Wellalage was the star with the bat for Sri Lanka, leading their recovery. At 101/5, Sri Lanka seemed in trouble, but thanks to Wellalage’s fighting 67, they managed to post a total of 230.
Janith Liyanage and Dunith Wellalage absorbed the pressure during a few probing overs by Kuldeep and Sundar. They counter-attacked effectively when Gill was brought in for an over, taking 14 runs off him and easing the pressure. A key moment came when Janith Liyanage walked off after a strong appeal for a catch at slip, only for replays to show he hadn’t made contact with the ball. Their 41-run partnership was crucial for Sri Lanka.