SL VS IND - 2nd ODI, India tour of Sri Lanka, 2024

Sri Lanka outplayed India all the facets of the game today. They opted for an extra spinner and strengthened their batting which turned out to be right move. They take an unassailable lead in this 3-match series. India ought to address a few issues. They let the Sri Lankan lower-order to get to good totals in both the matches after starting well with the ball. And, their middle-order batters struggled against spin in both the ODIs even after Rohit's quick starts. Too many experiments with the batting order? Time will tell. On that note, it's curtains down on this encounter. Join us on Wednesday for the third and final ODI. Until then, goodbye...

Remember, Dinesh Karthik will answer your questions after the 3rd ODI vs. Sri Lanka! Send them in using #heyCB on X to be featured in our next episode.

Charith Asalanka: I was pretty with the score. 240 was good enough. As a captain, these kind of problems (plenty of spin options) I need to have. It was an unbelievable spell by him (Vandersay). They were more than 90 runs when he came in to bowl. I am mainly a batter, I have to score runs. After that I can bowl a few overs. 

Rohit Sharma: When you lose a game, everything hurts. It's not just about those 10 overs. You have to play consistent cricket and we failed to do that today. Little disappointed but these things happen. You got to adapt what's in front of you. With left-right, we felt it'll be easier to rotate strike. Credit to Jeffrey, he got six wickets. The reason I got 65 is because of the way I batted. When I am batting like that, there's a lot of risks taken. If you don't cross the line, you always feel disappointed. I don't want to compromise on my intent. We understand nature of this surface, it gets really tough in the middle overs. You have to try to get as many as possible in the powerplay. We weren't good enough. Don't want to look too much into how we played. But there'll be talks about our batting in the middle overs.

Jeffrey Vandersay | Player of the Match: There was a lot of pressure coming into the side. I am coming out of a layoff. I had to something and it is easier to take credit. I want to give credit to the batters as well. They put on 240 runs and that helped me to bowl in good areas. Hasaranga is out No. 1 spinner. I got to understand the atmosphere of the team and team balance. I have to keep pushing myself. There was assistance in the wicket, I was trying to hit the good areas. Once I got my first wicket, that built up my confidence. Fortunately, I was able to take six wickets.

Most Indian batters dismissed LBW in an ODI innings
5 vs Ban Mirpur 2014
5 vs SL Colombo RPS 2024 (1st ODI)
5 vs SL Colombo RPS 2024 (today)

Most wickets lost to spin by India in an ODI
10 vs SL Colombo RPS 2023
9 vs Colombo RPS 1997
9 vs SL Colombo RPS 2024 (1st ODI)
9 vs SL Colombo RPS 2024 (today) *
All four instances have come against Sri Lanka and all four happened at Colombo RPS.

Targets under 250 successfully defended vs India since 2011 (ODI)
190 WI North Sound 2017
240 NZ Manchester 2019
241 SL Colombo RPS 2024 *
243 NZ Delhi 2016
247 Eng Lord's 2022

The defeat ends India's sequence of 11 consecutive bilateral series (2+ matches) wins in ODIs against Sri Lanka. The last time India failed to win a bilateral rubber against Sri Lanka was in Dec 1997.

Kamindu Mendis: It was a good match. Our team did really well in all three departments. The energy in the field was amazing. The crowd supported us, Credit goes to Wellage as well for that partnership. (On his fielding) I think I was lucky, had a field day covering those half chances. We got together after the T20s and had our plans. We executed them well in the middle.

Rohit attempted a reverse-sweep against Vandersay and perished, thanks to a superb catch from Nissanka. After that, India crumbled against the leggie who replaced an injured Hasaranga. He spun a web around the Indian batters and accounted for the first six wickets as the visitors slipped from 97/0 to 147/6. It was an incredible spell from the wristspinner who eventually finished with career best figures. With Vandersay out of the attack, Axar and Washington Sundar started to build a partnership. Asalanka removed both the all-rounders in quick succession and those were the killer blows from the Sri Lankan captain.

21:57 Local Time, 16:27 GMT, 21:57 IST: Asalanka has a big smile with his arms aloft, Vandersay raises his right hand and then prays. Jayasuriya is pumped up. Time for the handshakes as Sri Lanka take a 1-0 lead. Lots of similarities to the previous match, but we have a clear winner tonight. Opting to bat, they were in a precarious situation at 136/6, but once again Dunith Wellalage and the lower-order bailed them out of trouble to post a challenging total. In reply, captain Rohit got off the blocks quickly and notched up his second fifty of the series and once inside the first powerplay as India raced away to 76/0.

Asalanka to Kuldeep Yadav, out Arshdeep Singh Run Out!! Sri Lanka win! Slider, Kuldeep Yadav plays for the spin and gets an inside edge that eludes the sticks and just beats the keeper. The single wasn't on but the batsmen decide to go for it. The slip fielder runs back, slides and quickly throws the ball for Kusal Mendis to break the stumps. Arshdeep, who called for the single, is short of his ground. Arshdeep Singh run out (Kamindu Mendis/Kusal Mendis) 3(4)

Asalanka to Kuldeep Yadav, THATS OUT!! Run Out!!

Asalanka to Arshdeep Singh, 1 run, 86kph, offbreak that doesn't bounce much, wristed through wide mid-on off the back foot

Best figures by a spinner vs India (ODI)
7/30 M Muralitharan Sharjah 2000
6/13 A Mendis Karachi 2008
6/33 J Vandersay Colombo RPS 2024 *
6/41 V Richards Delhi 1989
6/54 A Dananjaya Pallekele 2017

Vandersay to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, fullish ball and Kuldeep Yadav defends off the front foot. Jeffrey Vandersay finishes with 6/33! The Sri Lankan dug-out are on their feet to applaud

Vandersay to Kuldeep Yadav, wide, 84kph, legbreak turning down leg

Vandersay to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, 81kph, gets down to reverse-sweep, finds cover. He wanted to hit it through point

Vandersay to Kuldeep Yadav, no run, full on the stumps, Kuldeep defends off the front foot