Sri Lanka and India share one of the most exciting rivalries in cricket. Over time, both teams have engaged in many gripping encounters which have delighted audiences worldwide.
Each side displayed courage and strategy as they battled for supremacy on the field, producing some fantastic performances which made this competition truly remarkable. In this article, we will discuss the high lights of Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
Sri Lanka vs. India
Sri Lankan cricket fans have experienced their share of ups and downs over the years in international sport, from winning the ODI World Cup in 1996 to producing legendary batsmen like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene; Sri Lanka has had an impactful presence across global cricket.
After an unsuccessful tour to South Africa in 2019, India is looking forward to entering the 2023 World Cup on a positive note, led by experienced captain Rohit Sharma and new head coach Gautam Gambhir.
India will play its final series match at Pallekele and hope to secure victory and move a step closer towards reaching the semi-finals of their respective competitions.
Kamindu Mendis took home the Player of the Series award for his performances during this tournament, earning praise from Pathum Nissanka and Angelo Mathews for making an impressionful contribution. Mendis credits it as being a tremendous accomplishment for his team despite difficult conditions. He attributes their successes to their hard work.
Chamari Athapaththu opens her over by smashing a back-of-a-length delivery to midwicket for one run before punching another short delivery for dot at extra cover before hitting one with power and placement slamming backward square leg for five.
Pooja Vastrakar concedes eight runs in her over. She was caught off-guard by an unexpected short delivery but attempted a slog sweep anyway, only for it to miss and hit over the boundary rope. Harshitha Madavi drove a short ball to long-on for four after receiving an easy run through poor fielding from Tanuja Kanwar and hit a half volley to the sweeper cover fence for four runs to bring up her fifty runs total and India reached 165/6 by twenty overs, leaving an eight deficit over their opponents’ 20 overs total.
Match Summary
Sri Lanka avoided whitewash and turned the tide in their Asia Cup series against Ireland by winning their final game at R Premadasa Stadium by 170-runs against India, with Kamindu Mendis and Pathum Nissanka making fifties as Sri Lanka dominated their chase for victory.
Sri Lankan batsmen displayed aggressive play during the Powerplay, with Dunith Wellalage and Kusal Mendis both producing prolific runs at will to take their side to 230-8 after 10 overs, trailing by only three runs against India’s spinners who then began picking wickets regularly and steadily.
Axar Patel and Akila Dananjaya each collected two wickets while pacer Matheesha Pathirana collected four, helping the side restrict India’s run-rate. Furthermore, spinners exploited conditions to deprive batsmen of power-hitting abilities.
India appeared poised to win when they reached 170-6 after 19 overs, but an unexpected collapse saw nine wickets fall for just 45 runs – something India hadn’t experienced for several games prior to this matchup.
Sri Lankan bowler Charith Asalanka used his review successfully to catch Shivam Dube LBW in front. Dube had clearly attempted to hit the ball with his back foot; however, an angry India side left fuming as they walked off.
The final over of both innings was thrilling as both sides attempted to score as many runs as possible. Kuldeep Yadav ended proceedings by taking Janith Liyanage for four runs as he attempted to sweep. Kuldeep caught Janith near his stumps as he was making an attempt.
India remain at the top of their group despite losing to Sri Lanka but remain hopeful they can seal victory against Bangladesh on Tuesday and take that momentum into the World Cup later this year. Sri Lankan players, meanwhile, can celebrate an historic win after playing admirably.
Highlights
Rohit Sharma made a mistake calling the wrong shot, which enabled Sri Lanka to build an impressive total. Losing only two openers within the Powerplay, Sri Lanka posted 248/7 with Avishka Fernando making an excellent 96 and Kusal Mendis making 56 runs to power their total forward. Unfortunately for India’s bowlers they could not contain Sri Lanka’s batsmen as time ran out; debutant Riyan Parag (3/54) managed two wickets as India fell short by an extensive margin.
India were reduced to 95/3 in the 19th over after an initial surge, yet Virat Kohli and Axar Patel managed to recover, rebuilding their innings with an 89 run partnership before Sri Lankan leg spinner Dunith Wellalage struck, taking three wickets within eight overs – seven at less than three runs an over!
Charith Asalanka’s review of Shivam Dube’s lbw caught behind decision was successful, trapping him in front on the final delivery – however this wasn’t enough to put India in control and they concluded their innings on 184/6.
Washington Sundar resumed bowling and delivered a maiden over, skimming past Avishka Fernando’s bat edge and into the leg side for four runs. Axar Patel then resumed bowling tight lines and lengths that restricted scoring opportunities.
Mendis drives to square leg for a single and Kamindu Mendis flicks an delivery into long on to score another single; Axar maintains pressure by keeping Mendis on 33 and Liyanage on 8.
Janith Liyanage drove a short one to square leg for four. He then nudged another ball through covers for another run as Sri Lanka reached 198/4. Mendis and Liyanage rotated strike, until Mendis attempted to cut a short delivery and hit it for six, which Dilshan took at gully. They added two runs more before the over ended at 202/5 with Mendis on 35 runs and Liyanage two not out.
Final Score
Success for any cricket team hinges on many variables; players’ batting and bowling abilities, consistency and fielding capabilities all play important roles. Furthermore, success ultimately relies on their captain’s leadership and strategy. Sri Lanka national cricket team stands no exception – their talent pool boasts the ability to challenge top teams around the globe but struggles to maintain its form.
Sri Lanka has assembled an impressive batting lineup, featuring players with proven their worth in limited overs formats. This success can be attributed to the hard work done by coaching staff and batting coach in improving batsmen quality in the side. Furthermore, experienced players like Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, and Rangana Herath have demonstrated they are capable of keeping Sri Lanka competitive across multiple formats.
Sri Lanka’s batting proved pivotal to their victory against India. Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis made an outstanding opening pair that helped get Sri Lanka off to an excellent start, before middle order batsmen finished off India’s innings to ensure victory was assured.
After winning in India in 1993, Australia finally managed to complete their comeback and claim victory against them again this time around in the form of victory in both ODI matches after initially drawing level with India after an exciting tie match first game.
Charith Asalanka’s brilliant review against Shivam Dube was the pivotal moment of the match and helped the hosts secure victory by 110 runs to win their three-match series victory.
Sri Lanka claimed their first series victory against India in 27 years and improved their standing in the ICC ODI Championship table with this success, providing an immense confidence boost and encouraging future victories against their archrival. They must seize this momentous occasion to correct mistakes made previously and work to improve performance across all formats of play.
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