IND vs SL 2017: We Thought We Could Bowl Them out for 40 Runs or so - Suranga Lakmal

Suranaga Lakmal’s heroics early in the Indian innings broke the backbone of the hosts’ batting, as he caused havoc in the top-order and the team was bowled out for just 112.

Sri Lanka won the first ODI by seven wickets and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series in Dharamshala. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first in the first ODI, and Sri Lanka had a new captain in the form of Thisara Perera, and he had a fantastic start to his rejuvenated career as a player and as a captain, as his team pulled off a huge victory over world number one India.

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Suranga Lakmal was adjudged the man of the match for his exceptional effort with the ball. Lakmal bowled ten overs on the trot, bowling four maidens, giving away 13 runs and picked up four wickets. Angelo Matthews bowled with the new ball and did not let the Indian batsmen cut lose early on.

India was 29 for seven at one, and the hosts were staring at their lowest ever ODI total of 54 that too against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 2000. The architect of the destruction, Suranga Lakmal feels they could have bowled the hosts under 40 but credits MS Dhoni for the way he batted with the tail, he said,

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“I think they were 29 for seven at one stage. We thought we could bowl them out for 40 runs or so. But MS Dhoni batted beautifully. Had we dismissed him early, we could have dismissed them cheaply. You’ve got to realise that he is a world-class player. He has been in these situations before, having played over 300 ODIs. Our focus was on winning the game. So we didn’t worry about it too much after we had made a good start,”

With this win, Sri Lanka ended their 12-match losing streak in ODI cricket, and Lakmal has credited the hard work the team has put in during this period,

“It’s been quite a struggle for us in white-ball cricket. We lost 12 ODIs in a row, and at one point our World Cup participation was in doubt as well. Very pleasing to win here and take the lead in the series. We had some very good training, and our planning was good, and today the execution was perfect,”

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Lakmal was equally supported by Angelo Matthews who the shared the new ball and Nuwan Pradeep who was instrumental in wrapping up the Indian middle-order,

“Very satisfied with that effort. It’s the first time I have bowled ten overs in one go. What happened was I was going to stop on two occasions. Then we got a breakthrough. The captain asked do you want to stop, but I thought the conditions were perfect and I told him I would keep going. I enjoyed the effort,”

“India is a very strong side. They are ranked number two, and they have the best batting line-up in the world. Mathews shared the new ball today and what we discussed was to just bowl in the right areas as we knew this wicket will help us. We managed to get a few early wickets. Mathews bowling again is vital for us as that helps us to balance the side. He is a crafty bowler, and more importantly, it gives us several options.”

“Nuwan meanwhile was on his comeback. He hardly bowls a bad spell. He brought us two crucial wickets, and he was able to maintain the momentum after the excellent start we had,”

Lakmal bowled his entire quota of ten overs in one go and then started vomiting while fielding at fine leg. He had to be taken to the dressing room for treatment after that and is currently under medication. He said,

“After the Delhi game, I was unwell. I am not hundred percent fit. I vomited several times today as well. Never played under conditions like in Delhi before. I had a few tests done and wasn’t feeling well. Everyone was urging me to play here, and I also wanted to be part of the team, and I am glad that it all came off well.”

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