Colombo, Aug 4 2024-
Coming in as a like-for-like replacement for injured Wanindu Hasaranga, leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay shone with a sensational six-wicket haul and powered Sri Lanka to a famous 32-run win over India and went 1-0 up in the three-match series at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
After Dunith Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis rescued Sri Lanka’s innings for the second time in as many matches with an inspiring lower-order fightback to post a competitive 240/9, India were cruising at 97/0. But Rohit Sharma perishing to a reverse-sweep off Vandersay triggered a collapse to the leg-spinner, as he picked 6-33 in his 10 overs, the seventh-best figures by a Sri Lankan bowler in ODIs. Captain Charith Asalanka took three wickets with the ball again, including the big scalp of a defiant Axar Patel, to bowl out India for 208.
Rohit got India off to a flying start again by cutting Dunith Wellalage twice, before sweeping him to take three boundaries in the fourth over. He was quick to rock back and pull Akila Dananjaya for a four, followed by driving and pulling Asitha Fernando for a four and six respectively. When Dananjaya pitched it short, Rohit dispatched him off backfoot for six and stylishly brought up his second successive fifty in 29 balls by carving a delightful inside-out lofted shot over extra cover off Kamindu Mendis for six.
After slog-sweeping Wellalage for six, Rohit went for a high-risk reverse-sweep off Vandersay but only managed to get a top edge, which was caught by backward point running across and diving to grab the catch with both hands.
Rohit’s fall triggered a sensational Indian meltdown to Vandersay as he got Shubman Gill to drive outside the off-stump, and the outside edge was grabbed by the slip fielder sticking out his right hand to complete the catch. He then struck in quick succession as his leg-breaks trapped Shivam Dube and Virat Kohli lbw. Vandersay completed his first five-wicket haul in ODIs when his googly went past Shreyas Iyer’s forward defence and trapped him lbw. He soon grabbed his sixth wicket when K.L. Rahul went for a cut but was castled.
Axar, who began with a cut in the gap between third man and backward point for four, began his counterattack by lofting Charith Asalanka inside-out over cover for six, followed by him sweeping and paddling for two more boundaries. He clipped Dananjaya for four, followed by hitting a lofted drive for six.
But Asalanka struck as Axar punched off the backfoot, and couldn’t keep it down. The Sri Lankan skipper moved to his left and took the catch with both hands just inches above the ground to dismiss Axar for 44.
Asalanka then trapped Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj lbw, and Arshdeep Singh’s run-out by Kusal Mendis got Sri Lanka a famous ODI win.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 240/9 in 50 overs (Kamindu Mendis 40, Avishka Fernando 40; Washington Sundar 3-30, Kuldeep Yadav 2-33) beat India 208 in 42.2 overs (Rohit Sharma 64, Axar Patel 44; Jeffrey Vandersay 6-33, Charith Asalanka 3-20) by 32 runs (Agency)
