SL vs IND ODIs | Golden opportunity for Sri Lanka to end a 27-year drought

Sri Lanka surprises with 1-0 lead against India in ODI series, showcasing spin dominance and lower-order resilience.

 Not many would have given Sri Lanka a chance against a near full-strength Indian side before the start of the one-day series. The home team came into the 50-over format following a 3-0 whitewash in the T20Is and was missing four front-line pace bowlers due to injuries and illness.

After somehow managing to tie the first game, the hosts lost key all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga ahead of the second game.

However, despite the odds, Sri Lanka has secured a 1-0 lead with a 32-run victory on Sunday powered by Jeffrey Vandersay’s brilliant six-wicket haul (six for 33).

The Lankans now have a chance to end a 27-year drought for a bilateral series win against the Men in Blue in ODIs when the two outfits meet in the third and final contest at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

The conditions at the Khettarama Stadium have been skewed in favour of the spinners, and Sri Lanka has exploited them to silence a powerful Indian batting line-up.

What seemed like an aberration in the first game, when India lost nine wickets to the tweakers, has become a more significant concern after a similar number of batters fell to the slower bowlers in the second game.

Vandersay scythed through the batting line-up in the second game, taking the first six wickets to trigger a sensational collapse from which Rohit Sharma’s men couldn’t recover.