"It became easier to bat" - Charith Asalanka mocks Rohit Sharma & Co. as they fail to chase in IND vs SL 1st ODI

Charith Asalanka started his stint as the full-time ODI captain of the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team in the first One Day International of the three-match series against India National Cricket Team on Friday, August 2, at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Charith Asalanka was appointed as the new Sri Lanka T20I captain ahead of the India series because Wanindu Hasaranga had stepped down from the role following the T20 World Cup 2024 debacle. Asalanka getting the captaincy in the shortest format didn't come as a surprise, as he was the top contender for the role.

However, when Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced the ODI squad for the India series and named Asalanka, the captain, it surprised many because Kusal Mendis was appointed as the full-time ODI skipper only in December 2023 after leading the team in a few matches in the ICC World Cup 2023 in an interim capacity.

Mendis led the Lankan Lions to 6 wins out of 8 completed ODIs, and despite that, the selection committee removed him from the role. Also, under him, Sri Lanka had won five consecutive home matches against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe but lost an away series against Bangladesh by 2-1.

Meanwhile, the hosts entered the ODI series after being whitewashed in the T20I series, including a comical yet horrible loss in the last game. Not only this, they lost some key players due to injury or illness-related issues before the ODI series.

In the afternoon, it turned more. Under lights, it became easier to bat - Charith Asalanka

Winning the toss and opting to bat first in the ODI series opener, Sri Lanka posted a decent total of 230/8 on the board despite being at 101/5 at one stage. It was youngster Dunith Wellalage who played a key role with his 67-run knock in helping the hosts post a competitive score.

With the ball, Sri Lanka were off to a poor start as the bowlers were taken to the cleaners by Rohit Sharma. However, they made a good comeback in the middle overs and reduced the Men In Blue to 132/5 inside 25 overs. Then, KL Rahul and Axar Patel put the Lankan Lions under pressure with their 57-run partnership but the hosts made a good comeback by removing Rahul and Axar in back-to-back overs. In the end, Charith Asalanka dismissed Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh on back-to-back deliveries to bowl India out for 230, and the match got tied.

At the post-match presentation ceremony, Charith Asalanka stated that he had the belief that his team would defend the total. Charith Asalanka asserted:

"I did (believe we could defend the total), but we should have done a bit more well to restrict them under 230.

Charith Asalanka also rejected Rohit Sharma's comments that the pitch remained the same for both the teams throughout the match and stated that they batted in a more difficult situation as compared to India, who found it easy under lights. Charith Asalanka elaborated:

"In the afternoon, it turned more. Under lights, it became easier to bat. (Bowling himself) The left-hander came in to bat and I thought I could bowl as it spun a lot. I am happy about the the energy in the field and the way the boys played in the second half. Dunith's knock and Nissanka batted extrmely well."

The second match of the series between India National Cricket Team and Sri Lanka National Cricket Team will be played on Sunday, August 4, at the same venue in Colombo.