IND vs SL 2017, 1st ODI: We Didn't Score Enough Runs to Compete - Rohit Sharma

Following impressive performances across all three formats, Men in Blue were in for a disaster in the 1^st of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, as the visitors took a 1-0 lead after winning the ODI comprehensively by seven wickets and with nearly 30 overs to spare.

The Sri Lankan bowlers made full use of the helpful bowling conditions reducing the hosts to a mere 29/7 after winning the toss and putting them in. It was a sensational piece of fast bowling by Angelo Matthews, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep, as the hosts were left searching for answers.

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Starting from Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, not a single batsmen got going. Meanwhile, Lakmal was in the middle of a fiery spell which never allowed the Men in Blue to make a comeback. Former Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the only reason India went past the century mark, as the cool and composed customer chipped in with a brilliant 65, as wickets around him kept falling on a consistent basis.

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He struck some delightful blows to ensure they gave at least something to their bowlers to bowl at. Lakmal was the wrecker in chief for the visitors bagging four wickets while Pradeep also chipped in with a couple. Chasing a below par total of 113, Sri Lanka didn’t begin well, as they lost opener Danushka Gunathilaka pretty cheaply which was followed by the wicket of Lahiru Thirimanne.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah were bowling with venom. The match could have been different had Bumrah not bowled a no-ball when Upul Tharanga edged a delivery straight to Dinesh Karthik in the slip cordon. From there on former skipper, Angelo Matthews took the onus on him and started rebuilding the chase with Tharanga.

Also Read IND vs SL 2017, 1st ODI: No-balls Continue to Haunt Jasprit Bumrah

Hardik Pandya dismissed the southpaw with a full-length delivery, but by then Sri Lanka was within striking distance of the total. Niroshan Dickwella was the next man in, and he struck some audacious shots and shared an unbeaten 49-run partnership to help Sri Lanka stroll towards a convincing victory.

Stand-in-skipper Rohit Sharma wasn’t a happy man and said it was the horrendous batting display which cost them the match. He further heaped praises on MS Dhoni who scored a valiant 65 but contemplated on the poor batting performance. Here is what Rohit had to say in the Post Match-Presentation

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“Two games to go, but having said that we weren’t up to the mark today. Had we had 70-80 runs more we could have had a game on our hands. It is important that we as a team thrive on conditions such as these and come out well. Not every day will we get flat tracks and today was a good learning curve. He’s (Dhoni) done it for so many years, and he knows what exactly needs to be done in such conditions. Someone with him could have made the difference, and I am not at all surprised by the way he played. Not such a great experience of losing the first match as a captain – nobody likes losing games, and we need to focus on the next two games and come out hard.”