The hosts prevailed resoundingly, winning the series 2-0. This is the first time Sri Lanka has triumphed over India in an ODI series in the last 27 years.
In the third ODI of the series, Sri Lanka defeated India by 110 runs on Wednesday at the R Premadasa Stadium thanks to innings of 96 runs from Avishka Fernando and five wickets from Dunith Wellalage.
This was India’s first ODI assignment following their devastating home loss to Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup final in November of last year, and it came ahead of the Champions Trophy, which would take place in Pakistan next year, as per ANI.
During the post-match news conference, Rohit discussed the game and noted that, unlike India, Sri Lankan batters were consistent in hitting sweep strokes and taking their chances.
“They were consistent with sweeps, taking their chances. There were not a lot of runs scored down the ground. They did not use the feet as much as we expected. It was about using sweeps and piercing that deep square leg and midwicket field. That is something we failed to do as a batting unit. We did not play enough sweeps, reverse sweeps, or paddle sweeps, and used our feet too much. That was the difference,” said Rohit.
“If you look at Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando today [who put on an 82-run stand], they got a lot of runs square of the wicket. They were using the turn, and sweeping, making the fielder move left and right. They were smart with how they batted and we were not,” he added.
The Indian captain acknowledged that the Men in Blue were under siege from Lankan spinners rather than dominating against them. Additionally, he stated that players are allowed to devise their own strategies for overcoming spin and playing on turning tracks.
“It starts with your training, When you get to your sessions, I can see the guys are working hard in the nets whenever we get the opportunity to train as well. I do not see there being a lack of effort when we want to try and play different shots,” he added.
According to Rohit, it’s crucial to score as many runs as you can during the first ten overs of the powerplay because these pitches slow down later on.
“My personal effort was to ensure that I score as many runs as I could. It was not as if I wanted to throw my wicket away after the powerplay. I wanted to continue the momentum and intent, but I unfortunately got dismissed while trying to play a few shots. My batting plan is pretty simple and straightforward,” he concluded.