It was a big opportunity for Rohit Sharma to dominate in Dharamsala on his captaincy debut. But the Lankans turned out to be a complete surprise. Sri Lanka wins the series opener by 7 wickets and leads the series by 1-0. The visitors chased down the easy target of 113 runs in 21 overs and marked their first victory in the series.
Sri Lanka chasing 112 got off to a disastrous start. They lost Gunathilaka (0) and Thirimanne (1). That is when Bumrah got Tharanga caught off an outside edge, only to be called a no-ball. It was Matthews (25) and Dickwella’s (26) that saw the Lankans home. They lost Tharanga on the way for 49, but that could not turn the tide for India.
With 2 more matches to go, India will face a stern test against the Lankans as they cannot put a foot wrong from here.
For Sri Lanka, it is all about playing for pride and trying to give team India a run for their money. A lot will be expected of Angelo Matthews and Thirimanne, the two experienced players. The problem with the visitors also is that they look lean in the bowling department as well. Lakmal being the only potent bowler.
What are the squads of India and Sri Lanka for the 1st ODI?
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Siddarth Kaul
ALSO READ: Rohit Sharma hints Shreyas Iyer’s debut against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala ODI — WATCH
Sri Lanka: Niroshan Dickwella(w), Upul Tharanga, Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Danushka Gunathilaka, Thisara Perera(c), Dhananjaya de Silva, Asela Gunaratne, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera, Chaturanga de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sachith Pathirana.
