Excitement at Its Peak: India-Sri Lanka First ODI Match Ended as a Tie

The India tour of Sri Lanka started with a three-match T20I series, in which Sri Lanka lost by 0-3. The last match was a tie and ended with a Super Over, in which India defeated them. Interestingly, the next match, i.e., the 1st ODI match with India, ended in the same way as this match tied again.  

Since there was no Super Over, both teams shared one point, and Sri Lanka avoided a loss at last! The audiences of R Premadasa Stadium witnessed a fantastic match where Sri Lanka finally showed some cricketing brilliance.

Before the ODI Series

Captain Charith Asalanka didn’t perform well as the new skipper! Result, his team lost the series miserably, and his batting performance was too poor. The format is new, but their performance in Sri Lanka in this one is poorer! Thus, the ODI series was an even more significant challenge for him. Undoubtedly, Sri Lanka was desperately looking for a comeback!

Premadasa’s pitch was not batting-friendly, but Sri Lanka decided to bat first after winning the toss. Sri Lanka tried to have their best eleven, have all its top players, because Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah were not there.

Sri Lanka’s Struggle in The First Innings

Pathum Nissanka started very well, though Avishka Fernando departed earlier. While Pathum secured one side and made run on a regular basis, the part was shaky from the beginning. However, he got out after scoring 56 runs in 75 balls. Dunith Wellalage played his role perfectly, carrying his innings to the end by scoring 67 runs in 65 balls while no other batters could hold the innings well enough. 

The Indian bowling side was much more balanced, as six bowlers out of seven got wickets in this inning. Arshdeep and Axar took two wickets each, while the other four took one wicket each. Except for Shuvman Gill, who spent 14 runs in one over, no one was very expensive. Axar Patel did his best, spending only 33 runs in 10 overs and taking two crucial wickets.

India’s Shaky Start in Response

While Rohit Sharma was fluent, even with a challenging pitch condition, Shubman Gill struggled initially and went for only 16 after facing 35 balls. Virat Kohli was expected to play a crucial role but stopped at 24 runs only. However, he tried to build a partnership after the fall of Gill, Sharma, and Sundar.

After the wicket of S. Iyer, India had a good collaboration, which seemed to be another easy win over Sri Lanka. K.L. Rahul and Axar Patel performed with much responsibility as both scored 30+ runs; Rahul had 31 of 43 balls, and Axar had 33 out of 57 balls. While the score was low, the Indian batters couldn’t show the courage to go for big hits frequently, yet scoring runs was not their pressure, and losing wickets created real trouble for them.

The Ultimate Excitement

After losing the crucial wickets, Shibham Dube, alongside Kuldeep Yadav, was expected to carry the innings but couldn’t as he scored only run after facing ten balls. With his wicket, Hasaranga completed taking three wickets in this vital match. At the end of the 45th over, India scored 213 runs with eight wickets down. Shivam Dube and Mohammad Siraj sensibly carried it in the next over, and at the end, they needed 15 runs in 24 balls.

The 47th over, bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga, went remarkably for India. They managed to take nine runs in that over, and Shivam Dube hit a big six in the third ball. At the end of this over, India’s requirement became five runs in eighteen balls. This should be easy for India, which has two wickets in hand. However, the uncertainty was always there since Shivam Dube was singlehandedly managing the batting and was not getting enough support from specialist bowler Siraj.

In the 48^th Over, Shivam Dube was on strike. India expected him to finish it without giving a strike to Siraj. The captain himself came in this crucial over since saving his significant spell to finish later might not have been helpful if Shivam Dube had finished that earlier! Sivam didn’t score any runs in the first two balls and was looking for a big hit, as the fielding arrangement was very close to restricting the Indians from taking singles and doubles. However, Shivam smartly played the third ball and scored four runs, finally leveling the score!

So, just one more run was needed, with two wickets and fifteen balls in hand! But how do we know that the Indians’ heartbreak was waiting in the successive balls? Hasaranga took the most crucial wicket of the innings in that ball, and Shivam Dube, the only hope for India, went for 25 runs in 24 balls.

Arshdeep came onto the field, and his only responsibility was to keep his wicket. Scoring only one run in fourteen balls was not challenging, but saving the last wicket was. But surprising everyone, he went for a big hit and missed! The umpire responded positively to Sri Lanka’s LBW appeal, and the review couldn’t save him either! Hasaranga got the hattrick chance, but no wicket was left for his opponent!

The commentators were excited when the whole ground shouted relentlessly since this “Tie” was like a “Win” for Sri Lanka then! While India could avoid the loss, Arshadeep should be questioned as to why he unnecessarily went for the glory shot!

The series could not be started in any better way than this! After one complete match, no team is ahead in the series, indicating that the excitement will be weightier in the coming matches. Asalanka was happy with his performance as a captain and player, while Wellalage was awarded the Player of the Match trophy.

Some Final Thoughts

Two more matches are left in this ODI series, where Sri Lanka has a golden chance to recover from its miserable performance in the T20 series. Several players in Sri Lanka have performed very smartly, which is favorable for them. Most importantly, their bowlers have been performing well in all the formats for a long time, which they must utilize in the next matches.

After being whitewashed in the first assignment in the T20 series, let’s see how they finish the ODI one. Even if they lose the second match on 5^th August, they can draw it by winning the last one. But undoubtedly, they will try their best to win the next two games and win the series.