Watch- Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir embarrassed, forced to hide faces right after Arshdeep Singh's blunder
Published - 03 Aug 2024, 10:54 AM | Updated - 24 Aug 2024, 07:02 AM
Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir's facial expressions told the story of the India vs Sri Lanka first ODI in Colombo on Friday. With one run needed to win, the final wicket of Arshdeep Singh helped Sri Lanka tie the match against their subcontinental rivals.
This was the 10th time India was involved in a tied ODI match. Overall, 44 matches ended in a tie in ODIs in the history of the format. Chasing 231 to win, India got to 230 after 47.4 overs. They need just one more run to win after the fall of Shivam Dube's wicket in the fourth ball of the 48th over.
Arshdeep Singh the last batter still had 13 balls to score that one run that India needed to win the game. Mohammed Siraj at the other end batted sensibly rotating the strike and forging a partnership with Dube. The southpaw's two big hits before him getting dismissed helped India tie the score.
Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli caught shying away
Charith Asalanka bowling the 48th over first found Dube plumb LBW in the fourth ball of the over. Arshdeep who had to negate the final ball of the overwent for a wild slog and missed the ball. The straight ball from the Sri Lankan captain hit the batter on the pads and the replays showed that it went to hit the stumps.
The facial expressions in the Indian dressing room went from ecstasy to agony within moments. After Dube smashed a boundary against Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka to level the score, Kohli and Gambhir jumped up in joy. Kohli was so excited, he almost got up from his seat applauding the effort from the left-hander, before patting Gambhir's back, who in turn smiled.
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However, the final wicket of Arshdeep Singh dashed all the smiles in the Indian camp as they lost a golden opportunity to take the lead in the series. For Sri Lanka, the tie meant a win because at one point, the scores were tied and they thought that the game was done and dusted.
India reached that score with small partnerships. Rohit Sharma (58) and Shubman Gill (16) added 76 for the first wicket. From 76 for 1 in the 13th over, India were quickly down to 132 for 5 with Kohli and Iyer being dismissed in quick succession. Kohli and Iyer added 43 together after which KL Rahul (31) and Axar Patel (33) added 57 together. Shivam Dube smashed two sixes and a boundary to level the score with 15 balls left in hand. However, his dismissal became the turning point in the end.
Earlier in the game, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first. Pathum Nissanka scored 56 up at the top while Dunith Wellage top-scored with 67. There were hardly any contributions from the middle-order. However, the lower-order chipped in with crucial runs along with Wellalage.
"The scores are gettable, it's just that you have to bat well to get that score. We batted well in patches. There was no consistent momentum through the game for us. We started really well with the bat but we knew the game will start after 10 overs once the spinners come in to bowl."
"We had the upper hand to start with, then we lost a couple of wickets and fell behind the game. With the partnership that KL and Axar had, we again came back into the game pretty well. In the end, little disappointing, 14 balls, 1 run to get. These things happen. Sri Lanka played well," said Rohit Sharma after the match ended in a tie.
The second ODI will be played on Sunday followed by the last on Wednesday.
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India National Cricket Team India tour of Sri Lanka 2024 Gautam Gambhir Virat Kohli Arshdeep Singh india vs sri lanka