Pathum Nissanka scored a fifty in the top order whilst Dunith Wellalage made a fighting 67* to notch up his maiden half-century as Sri Lanka posted 230 for the loss of 8 wickets against India in their 1st ODI match at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on Friday afternoon.
After Charith Asalanka opted to bat first in his 1st game as Sri Lanka’s ODI captain – the home team lost Avishka Fernando in the 3rd over. Kusal Mendis took time to settle down but was eventually missed a straight one for 14. Sadeera Samarawickrama failed to read the pace and spin of the pitch as Indian spinners tightened the screws.
Skipper Asalanka too failed to make an impact whilst Nissanka continued to toil hard and put up runs on the board. Nissanka reached his 14th ODI fifty but became Washington Sundar’s only scalp.
At 101 for 5, Wellalage walked in and played the situation perfectly. He first added 41 runs for the 6th wicket with Janith Liyanage before the latter was given out caught behind. He walked away straight but later on the replays showed there was no deflection. Liyanage made 20 runs.
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Wanindu Hasaranga put his head down and was batting sensibly along with Wellalage but he too perished.
Number nine batter Akila Dananjaya and Wellalage added 46 runs off 39 balls for the 8th wicket – the highest stand in the Lankan innings which gave a real impetus to the scoreboard. Except for the part-time spinner Shubman Gill, all the other bowlers took wickets for the visitors.
The pitch was by no means a minefield but there was plenty of assistance for the spinners. Consistency and hitting the right lines and lengths will be crucial for Sri Lanka’s chances.
Earlier, due to a spate of injuries to the first-choice fast bowlers, 29-year-old Mohammad Shiraz was handed the ODI debut for the hosts. He has taken 80 wickets in 47 List A matches. He registered his career-best figures – 6 for 21 earlier this week.
Brief Scores
Sri Lanka – 230/8 (50 overs) – Pathum Nissanka 56, Janith Liyanage 20, Dunith Wellalage 67*, Wanindu Hasaranga 24, Arshdeep Singh 2/47, Axar Patel 2/33.
Playing XI
Sri Lanka – Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (Captain), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando, Mohammad Shiraz
India – Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | lbw b Washington Sundar | 56 | 75 | 9 | 0 | 74.67 |
| Avishka Fernando | c Arshdeep Singh b Mohammed Siraj | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14.29 |
| Kusal Mendis | lbw b Shivam Dube | 14 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 45.16 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | c Shubman Gill b Axar Patel | 8 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 |
| Charith Asalanka | c Rohit Sharma b Kuldeep Yadav | 14 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Janith Liyanage | c Rohit Sharma b Axar Patel | 20 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 76.92 |
| Dunith Wellalage | not out | 67 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 103.08 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | c Axar Patel b Arshdeep Singh | 24 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 68.57 |
| Akila Dananjaya | c Washington Sundar b Arshdeep Singh | 17 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 80.95 |
| Mohamed Shiraz | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 8 (b 0 , lb 2 , nb 0, w 6, pen 0) |
| Total | 230/8 (50 Overs, RR: 4.6) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Siraj | 8 | 2 | 36 | 1 | 4.50 | |
| Arshdeep Singh | 8 | 0 | 47 | 2 | 5.88 | |
| Axar Patel | 10 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 3.30 | |
| Shivam Dube | 4 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 4.75 | |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 10 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 3.30 | |
| Washington Sundar | 9 | 1 | 46 | 1 | 5.11 | |
| Shubman Gill | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14.00 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | not out | 55 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 148.65 |
| Shubman Gill | not out | 15 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 51.72 |
| Extras | 4 (b 0 , lb 2 , nb 0, w 2, pen 0) |
| Total | 74/0 (11 Overs, RR: 6.73) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 3 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 8.67 | |
| Mohamed Shiraz | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 9.50 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3.25 | |
| Akila Dananjaya | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7.00 | |
