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The Indian team led by Rohit Sharma had to face defeat by 32 runs in the second ODI against Sri Lanka. Host Sri Lanka scored 240/9 on the Colombo ground. In reply, India’s innings was reduced to 42.2 overs. India got a good start on the basis of Rohit’s (64 in 44 balls) half-century but despite that the threshold of victory could not be crossed. Sri Lankan leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay bowled brilliantly. He took six wickets for 33 runs in a spell of 10 overs. Rohit’s pain has spilled out after the defeat. He has also given advice to the Indian batsmen.
Rohit said after the second ODI, “When you lose a match, everything hurts. It is not just about those 10 overs. If you want to win the match, you have to be consistent. We failed to do that today. I am a little disappointed but it happens. You have to change what is in front of you. We felt that it would be easier to rotate the strike if there was a left-right hand batsman. Credit goes to Jeffrey Vandersay, who took six wickets.” Rohit also talked about his batting. He said that if the risk was not taken, 64 runs would not have been scored.
The Indian captain further said, “The way I batted, I was able to add 64 runs. When I bat like this, I have to take a lot of risk. If you do not cross the line, you always feel disappointed. I do not want to compromise on intent. We understand the nature of this pitch. It becomes difficult in the middle overs. You have to try to score as many runs as possible in the powerplay. We do not want to focus too much on how to play. But there will be a discussion about our batting in the middle overs.”
It is worth noting that while chasing the target, Rohit shared a 97-run partnership for the first wicket with Shubman Gill (33). Virat Kohli (14) and Shreyas Iyer (7) did not perform well. Shivam Dubey and KL Rahul could not even open their account. India lost six wickets by adding just 50 runs. Axar Patel (44) shared a 38-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Washington Sundar (15). Axar returned to the pavilion in the 34th over, after which no one could stay firmly. The third and last match of the series will be played on Wednesday (7 August).
