Sri Lanka Secures Victory Against India In Thrilling 2nd ODI Match

India faced a setback in the second ODI against Sri Lanka, losing by 32 runs at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, August 4. This defeat marked the first loss for India under the leadership of Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir.

Sri Lanka's lower middle-order and tail-enders managed to score 44 runs from the last five balls, contributing significantly to their total. They amassed 104 runs in the final 15 overs after being at a precarious 136/6 in 35 overs.

• Most Sixes Award: Rohit Sharma for four sixes - USD 1000
• Moment of the Match Award: Kamindu Mendis for his catch of Shubman Gill - USD1500
• Player of the match: Jeffrey Vandersay for his 6/33 - USD 2000
• Winner of the Match Award: Sri Lanka - USD 2000

The Indian team was chasing a target of 241 and seemed to be in control at 97/0 in just over 13 overs. However, they collapsed to 147/6 within ten overs and were eventually all out for 208 in 42.2 overs.

Rohit Sharma scored a quickfire 64 off 44 balls, while Shubman Gill contributed with a steady 35 off 44 balls. Axar Patel also added a valuable 44 off as many balls. Unfortunately, other key players like Virat Kohli (14), Shivam Dube (0), KL Rahul (0), and Shreyas Iyer (7) failed to make an impact.

Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka captain): "I was pretty with the score. 240 was good enough. As a captain, these kind of problems (plenty of spin options) I need to have. It was an unbelievable spell by him (Vandersay). They were more than 90 runs when he came in to bowl. I am mainly a batter, I have to score runs. After that I can bowl a few overs."

Jeffrey Vandersay (Man of the Match): "There was a lot of pressure coming into the side. I am coming out of a layoff. I had to something and it is easier to take credit. I want to give credit to the batters as well. They put on 240 runs and that helped me to bowl in good areas. Hasaranga is out No.1 spinner. I got to understand the atmosphere of the team and team balance. I have to keep pushing myself. There was assistance in the wicket, I was trying to hit the good areas. Once I got my first wicket, that built up my confidence. Fortunately, I was able to take six wickets."

Sri Lanka now leads the series with a scoreline of 1-0, needing just one more win in the third ODI on Wednesday, August 7, to clinch the series victory at home.

This defeat also ended India's streak of ten consecutive bilateral ODI series wins against Sri Lanka, showcasing a spirited performance from the hosts.

Rohit Sharma (India captain): "When you lose a game, everything hurts. It's not just about those ten overs. You have to play consistent cricket and we failed to do that today. Little disappointed but these things happen. You got to adapt what's in front of you. With left-right, we felt it'll be easier to rotate strike."

"Credit to Jeffrey; he got six wickets," Rohit continued, "The reason I got 65 is because of how I batted. When I'm batting like that, there's a lot of risks taken." He added that failing to cross the line always brings disappointment but emphasised not compromising on intent.

The Indian skipper acknowledged that understanding pitch conditions is crucial as it becomes challenging during middle overs and stressed maximising runs during powerplay periods.

The third and final ODI promises an exciting contest as both teams aim for victory with Sri Lanka looking to seal their series win while India seeks redemption.