India tour of Sri Lanka: Hosts wrap up ODI series with big win over Rohit Sharma and Co
This was the first time India lost an ODI series against Sri Lanka in 27 years.
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Spinner Dunith Wellalage took 5-27 as Sri Lanka clinched a first ODI series victory over India in 27 years with a 110-run thrashing of the tourists in the third match on Wednesday.
Chasing 249 for victory, world No 1 India suffered a third successive batting collapse in the three-match series to be bowled out for 138 in 26.1 overs at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium.
Sri Lanka, who last registered a bi-lateral series triumph over India in the 50-over format in 1997, won the series 2-0 after the opener ended in a tie.
Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had returned for the ODI matches after Suryakumar Yadav led the team to a 3-0 series sweep in the T20 matches at the start of India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka.
Both Sharma and Kohli retired from T20 internationals after the team’s World Cup triumph in Barbados in June.
Indian batters struggled to cope with Sri Lanka’s spin in the ODI matches but Sharma played it down.
“I don’t think it’s [playing spin] a concern,” said Sharma.
“But it’s something we need to look at seriously, our individual game plans, and it’s something we were definitely put under pressure with in this series.”
The tour was the first for India coach Gautam Gambhir, who took over the job...
