Colombo, August 7
India captain Rohit Sharma asserted that the team wasn't complacent in their ODI series loss against Sri Lanka and gave them due credit for their historic series win in Colombo.
India were the favourite on paper to take away the ODI series after completing a whitewash over Sri Lanka in the T20I.
However, the dynamics between the two teams completely changed with the transition in format. Sri Lanka spinners ran rampant in Colombo throughout the three-match ODI series. The art of spinning on a surface that turned into paradise was effortlessly put on display by the hosts.
Sri Lanka almost pipped India in the first ODI. India got outplayed in the second and never got in a position to win in the third.
Rohit gave credit to Sri Lanka for the set of remarkable performances they produced across the three ODIs to win their first bilateral series against India since 1997.
"No, it's a joke. When you're playing for India, there's no complacency. We have to give credit where credit is due. Sri Lanka played better than us. We looked at the conditions, wanted to take pace off the ball, and that's why we went with our combination," Rohit said in the post-match presentation.
India's gut-wrenching performances left them exposed in front of the Sri Lanka spinners. On the eve of the third ODI, Washington Sundar had backed India batters for their performances against spin. Rohit reiterated Sundar's stance and emphasized the need to have a look at their game plan.
"I don't think it's a concern, but it's something we need to look at seriously, our individual game plans, and it's something we were definitely put under pressure within this series. All in all, we didn't play good cricket through the series, and that is why we stand here. Throughout the series, there were a few positives. How the spinners bowled, some of the batters in the middle as well," Rohit noted.
"We lost the series, and I feel there are a lot of areas we need to look at rather than the positives. We need to go back and look at what we need to do when we come up against conditions like this. Series lost doesn't mean the end of the world. These guys have been playing very well over the past few years, very consistent. You will lose the odd series," he concluded.
In the third ODI, Avishka Fernando's 96, along with Kusal Mendis's (59) and Pathum Nissanka's (45) handy contributions propelled Sri Lanka to 248/7. In reply, India folded on 138 against Sri Lanka's spin prowess and lost the third ODI by 11o runs.