Colombo, August 3
Following his excellent performance against India in the 1st ODI, Sri Lanka all-rounder Dunith Wellalage opened up on the reason behind his magnificent batting on Friday.
Wellalage was awarded the Player of the Match for his all-round performance at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. He played an unbeaten knock of 67 runs off 65 balls which was laced with seven boundaries and two maximums. With the ball, the left-arm spinner bagged two wickets in his spell of nine overs where he conceded 39 runs and bowled maiden over.
"They have a lot of experienced bowlers, so the more we can limit our mistakes, the more we can put pressure on them. I was watching Pathum Nissanka bat quite a lot. I put his batting in my mind as I came up with a plan. If you take the pitch, it was one that supported spin bowling. I tried to put as much pressure on the bowler and build partnerships," Wellalage said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
After restricting Sri Lanka on 230/8, it turned out to be a topsy-turvy chase for the Indian team. Despite the explosive start provided by Rohit (58 in 47 balls, with seven fours and three sixes), the chase became a tantalizing affair for the Indian team.
Recapping the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bat against India.
Pathum Nissanka (56 runs from 75 balls, 9 fours) and Dunith Wellalage (67* runs from 65 balls, 7 fours and 2 sixes) showcased a standout performance in the game and powered Sri Lanka to 230/8 in the first inning.
Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel led the Indian bowling attack with both of them picking up two wickets in their respective spells.
During the run chase, Rohit Sharma (58 runs from 47 balls, 7 fours and 3 sixes) played a captain's knock and helped the Men in Blue to get a fiery start. Axar Patel (33 runs from 57 balls, 2 fours and 1 six) and KL Rahul (31 runs from 43 balls, 2 fours) were also magnificent at the crease and powered India to 230. The match was tied as India lost all their wickets while chasing.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Charith Asalanka picked up three wickets each in their respective spells to lead the Sri Lanka bowling attack.