Lankans end agonising wait

Colombo: Strains of the Sinhalese song jaya banda, to celebrate sporting excellence, broke out at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday night, more than 26,000 Sri Lankan fans finding their voice to cheer a sensational victory for their hometown heroes.

There have been numerous batting collapses from both teams during India’s short tour of the island nation, but none was more abject, more complete and less surprising than India’s in the third and final One-Day International.

Undone by spin in the first two One-Day Internationals, India had no answers once again to Sri Lanka’s multi-pronged and versatile spin battery, going from 53 for one to 82 for six in the bat of an eyelid. They eventually keeled over for 138 to concede a massive 110-run defeat, Sri Lanka’s 2-0 triumph marking their first series win against India since 1997.

Needing to win the final game to come away with a share of the spoils, Rohit Sharma’s men reiterated their failings against spin. Sri Lanka’s 248 for seven after Charith Asalanka’s luck with the coin held was fashioned by the top three of Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis, who enjoyed the game’s best batting conditions, but India were never in the hunt, not after Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a breezy 35, edging a slog-sweep off Dunith Wellalage to wicketkeeper Mendis.

Thorn in India’s side

Wellalage has been a thorn in India’s side all series, and the little left-arm spinner was at it again, picking up a career-best five for 27 to consign India to a terrible hiding. Among his victims were also Virat Kohli, dismissed leg before for the third game in a row, and Shreyas Iyer, both undone by deliveries that hastened through instead of turning, as was the norm for much of the night.

Even accounting for the fact that India got the wrong end of the stick – the pitch was a batting beauty for the first 25 or so overs, before rapidly devolving into a tricky if not treacherous spin-friendly one – this is a batting performance the team will collectively find it hard to live down. Beyond Rohit at the top and Washington Sundar right at the end, there was no stomach for battle. Rishabh Pant’s ODI return lasted just nine deliveries as he walked past Maheesh Theekshana’s off-break and was easily stumped.

The modes of dismissal pointed as much to a technical failing as a mental one, aspects head coach Gautam Gambhir will have to address post haste. India extended their batting by debuting Riyan Parag instead of Arshdeep Singh, but nine batters were far from enough. Another half-dozen might not have helped either.

India were staring at a target in excess of 275 when Avishka, desperately unlucky to miss out on three-figures, was involved in stands of 89 and 82 with Nissanka and Mendis respectively. But debutant Riyan Parag brought them into the game with an excellent nine-over spell that fetched him three wickets.

The other spinners were tidy and made up for a profligate Mohammed Siraj, whose nine overs yielded 78.