Sri Lanka thrash India to confirm Asian dominance in both men’s and women’s cricket.
Outstanding Dinuth Wellalage and Avishka Fernando set the platform for series sweep in one dayers.
BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.
(eLanka Sports Editor)
(eLanka Sports Editor)
Sri Lanka stunned the cricketing world with a dominant series wipeout of number one ranked India, and that victory, after 27 long years, could not have tasted sweeter.
Cowering in the shadows of a tormentor of ten previous bilateral series, Sri Lanka took a leaf out of the book of their women’s team that showed courage and inspiration to complete an Asian dominance that will be etched in the memory of their fans forever.
Wild euphoria swept the country as Charith Asalanka’s men exposed an uncharacteristic weakness in Indian batting, never seen before, as emerging superstar 21- year -old Dinuth Wellalage led a potent Sri Lanka spin attack to an emphatic series winning 2-0 victory never imagined, after a dominant India crushed them 3-0 in the T20 series previously.
Wellalage grabbed 5 for 27 , second game hero Jeffrey Vandersay 2 for 34, and Maheesh Theekshana 2 for 45 to lead a Sri Lankan rout in the decider, as the strong Indian batting inexplicably crumbled to 138 all out chasing 248.
The 110 thrashing after a 32 run win in game two, have resurrected Sri Lanka’s recent poor form mainly through lack of focus which interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya appears to have addressed very quickly. Communication between him and the team compared with Chris Silverwood who vacated his position, appears to have given the team a different perspective.
I said before that Sri Lanka needed an X factor to unsettle the Indians, Jeffrey Vandersay provided that in game two to India’s strong batting line-up that had little exposure to his variation. He took six wickets in that game and two more in the decider with Wellalage stepping into the leading role.
Dinuth Wellalage’s second act unsettled India’s now familiar plan against injured Hasarsnga’s role which became unimportant. Sri Lanka’s spinners bowled great lines⁹ and lengths to usurp India’s master-class against spin.
From the usual Rohit Sharma onslaught at the top where India raced to 37 without loss, Sharma contributing 35 off 20 balls, India’s next ten wickets crashed for 101 in a similar domino effect that was usually associated with Sri Lanka.
The pattern was in many ways similar to game two where a spinning track at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo gave the locals a positive advantage but India’s batters had no excuse, being familiar with sub continental tracks.
Interim coach Sanath Jayasuriya summed up the victory as a spur from the past that characterised the emergence of a team that are bent on success and refusal to be overawed by the task ahead.
He drew parallels from his past as a cricketer for his country where he claimed he always played to win no matter the reputation of the opposition.
Asalanka said post match that addressing Sri Lanka’s woes in batting, particularly in the middle and lower order made the difference from the past, particularly against India. He said plans to bolster the top order and achieve consistency appears to be falling into place with Pathum Nissanka leading the way and Avishka Fernando showing he is ready to step up with a brilliant 96.
Nissanka, 45 off 65 balls, and Fernando, 96 off202 balls with 2 sixers and 9 fours, put on 89 for their opening stand then Fernando and Kusal Mendis, 59 off 82 balls, added 82 for the second wicket to lay the foundation for 248 for 7 in 50 overs.
Sri Lanka’s middle order led by all-rounders Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis were trump cards towards boosting the totals to defendable levels, and the spinners thrived on responsive tracks to outwit their highly reputed opponents.
As I said in my previews, there’s no shortage of talent in the country but getting the right combinations for the opposition and picking horses for courses is key. Sri Lanka had it spot on for this series.
In a cruel twist of fate, India were obviously overconfident on this tour leaving out match winners, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravinda Jadeja from the tour and paid a heavy price for their complacency. Perhaps on reflection, they will not be that cock-a-hoop when they meet next.
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India has no argument about being outplayed in this series immaterial of the selected squad due to the abundance of talent available in the country.
Sri Lanka can go forward with the knowledge and confidence that they are now capable of reliving the glory days of their stars of the past, Jayasuriya included, who took on and beat the best in the world.
From a position of recent hopelessness, Sri Lanka appear to have turned the corner.
They have a fair way to go to make it a reality. Maybe the World Cup looming will reveal where they’re at.
