India’s long-format skipper, Rohit Sharma, recently reflected on the Men in Blue’s disappointing defeat against Sri Lanka in the second ODI of the three-match series. The hosts secured a comfortable 32-run victory, dismissing India for 208 in 42.2 overs.
Sri Lanka batted first and posted a total of 240 runs in their allotted 50 overs. Chasing the target, Rohit Sharma provided a brisk start, scoring 64 runs off 44 deliveries at a strike rate of 145.45. However, his dismissal by Jeffrey Vandersay marked a turning point, leading to a collapse in the Indian batting order.
‘You have to play consistent cricket and we failed to do that today’ – Rohit Sharma
During the post-match presentation ceremony, Sharma expressed his disappointment over the loss and acknowledged Vandersay’s exceptional performance, which included a six-wicket haul. “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 have to adapt to 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,” said Rohit.
Reflecting on his batting approach, Sharma emphasized the importance of scoring heavily during the powerplay. “If you don’t cross the line, you always feel disappointed. I don’t want to compromise on my intent. We understand the 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,” he added.
With the series currently poised at 1-0 in favor of Sri Lanka, India will aim to level the series in the final match on August 7 in Colombo. The visitors will be eager to bounce back and secure a victory to draw the series.
