For the first time in their last 27 years, India lost a bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka.
During their 0-2 loss in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, India’s appalling bowling performance was blasted by former Pakistani cricketer Junaid Khan. On Wednesday, August 7, Sri Lanka defeated the Men in Blue in a bilateral ODI series for the first time since 1997, as the Men in Blue dropped the crucial third ODI.
In every game of the just finished series, the Sri Lankan was able to bowl out India. But the tourists were unable to dismiss the Lankan Lions with a single bowl. On three separate instances, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first on pitches that continued to break as the games progressed.It has to be acknowledged that, despite their bowlers’ significant advantage, their Indian counterparts didn’t appear to be as tiny.Even without Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for this series, Junaid claimed that India’s bowling attack is “zero”. The former Pakistani speedster questioned whether cricket supporters shared his viewpoint.
Would you concur? On his official ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) profile, Junaid stated, “India’s bowling is zero without Bumrah.”
Sri Lankan bowlers dominated the series, with Jeffrey Vandersay (8), Dunith Wellalage (7), and Charith Asalanka (6) taking the top three wickets, respectively. Indian hitters struggled against the Sri Lankan spinners, notably part-timer Asalanka.
Among the Indian batsmen, captain Rohit Sharma stood out, getting his team off to a fast start in all three matches. The Mumbai batsman finished as the series’ leading run-scorer, scoring 157 runs in three games at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of 141.4. However, problems for India began to emerge in every game following Rohit’s dismissal.The next task for India is a two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, which begins on September 19 in Chennai with the first match. In the meanwhile, Sri Lanka will visit the UK to play England in a three-match Test series.
