Wellalage starred with the ball for SL. (PC: X.com)
On a dry pitch, Sri Lanka opted to bat and, thanks to Avishka Fernando’s 96 and Kusal Mendis’ 59, managed to post the highest total of the series. It was 248. In pursuit of 249, India started strong with skipper Rohit Sharma leading the way. However, following a pattern seen through this series, India suffered a batting collapse, resulting in them being bowled out for 138 and losing the match by 100 runs.
Dunith Wellalage starred with the ball for Sri Lanka, achieving career-best figures of 5/27. With this second consecutive win, Sri Lanka secured the series 2-0, marking their first series victory over India since 1997.
Indian batters appeared utterly lost against Sri Lanka’s disciplined spin attack. Rohit shone at the top, as he had in the previous matches. He once again failed to convert a promising start into a big score. Virat Kohli looked assured at the crease before being deceived by an arm ball from Wellalage. Once Kohli was dismissed, the Sri Lankan spinners took control.
Despite including an extra batter in their line-up, India couldn’t avoid a collapse. The highest partnership was the one between Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, which indicates how poorly the visitors fared with the bat. This match and the entire series highlighted concerns about the Indian players’ technique against spin.
Playing as the only frontline seam bowling option, there was more responsibility on the shoulders of Mohammed Siraj. He looked all over the place in his first spell. His lines were wayward despite a good length, allowing the Sri Lankan openers, especially Pathum Nissanka, to capitalise on his errors. Shivam Dube bowled tight lines, and even though he was bowling in the early 120s, he kept it tight from one end while Siraj conceded runs.
Nissanka’s aggressive approach in the Powerplay allowed Avishka to settle in. The openers controlled the Powerplay, accumulating 41 in the first 10 overs, with 29 of those runs coming off Siraj. The Indian spinners were expected to make an impact on the dry pitch, but the Sri Lankan openers took calculated risks, using sweeps effectively to counter the spin challenge early on. The pitch offered no signs of spin initially, and the openers continued confidently.
However, in the 20th over, Axar Patel found some turn, leading to Nissanka’s dismissal as he attempted a slog over deep mid-wicket. Despite Nissanka’s departure, Avishka remained steady, adding 82 runs with Kusal Mendis for the second wicket. Runs were coming steadily, but boundaries were scarce until Avishka targeted Siraj’s first over of his second spell, scoring 19 runs and regaining the momentum for Sri Lanka.
Avishka seemed poised for a century but was dismissed for 96 by debutant Riyan Parag, providing India with a crucial breakthrough. Riyan went on to take two more wickets to ignite a mini collapse. Kusal Mendis, who started slowly, stood firm and accelerated towards the end with a few powerful shots, helping Sri Lanka post a challenging total of 248.