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On a slow, dry Khettarama wicket, India’s spinners flourished, restricting Sri Lanka to 230 for 8 in the opening match of the ODI series. Claiming combined figures of 29-1-112-4, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar—who was selected ahead of Riyan Parag—often generated puffs of dust from the surface that was also utilised for last month’s LPL Qualifier 2. Due to half-centuries from opener Pathum Nissanka and all-arounder Dunith Wellalage, Sri Lanka was able to reach 230 for 8.
Axar’s opening over of spin served as a premonition of the play that was to come. Axar immediately found grip and turn as he threw his opening ball up outside, and Nissanka checked his drive to additional cover. Then, just like Rangana Herath used to do here, Axar managed to kick up and rag away his fifth ball past the outer edge.
Axar threw the ball up into Arshdeep Singh’s footmarks instead of looking for the magic ball because the surface gave the spinners ample of grip. With figures of 5-0-11-0, Axar increased his pressure and got Samarawickrama to chip a catch to short-cover in his sixth over.
Then, with his cunning variations, Kuldeep increased the pressure even more on Sri Lanka’s middle order. Following a few balls that he had ripped past Charith Asalanka’s outside edge, he had the skipper of Sri Lanka directing his stock ball straight to Rohit Sharma at first slip for 14 off 21 balls. If Rohit hadn’t dropped Wanindu Hasaranga at slip, Kuldeep may have also dismissed him on eight.
Washington, the third spinner for India, did not enter the assault until the twenty-first over. But he settled into a rhythm almost away, using a hard-spun offbreak to beat Asalanka’s outside edge. In the 27th over, Washington then overcame Nissanka’s inside edge, lbw him for 56 off 75 balls.
Though Wellalage was struck for 20 off 21 balls, he countered Washington’s offspin, moving up to No. 7 before Hasaranga. Even more creatively, he rampaged Mohammed Siraj clean of deep third for fours and reverse-swept Washington over the two slips. He then reached his first fifty in an ODI, off 59 balls.
India employed seven bowling options in all, including Shubman Gill, who was bowled over for just the second time in his ODI career. After having to wait over four years for his second ODI, all-rounder Shivam Dube claimed his maiden wicket in the format, dismissing Kusal Mendis for 14 runs off of 31 balls with a delivery that nipped away and struck his back pad like a fast legcutter.