Team India suffered batting collapses in back-to-back matches against Sri Lanka in the ongoing three-ODI series at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
After failing to overhaul the modest target of 231 runs in the series opener, the visitors once again lost a flurry of wickets while chasing 241 runs in the second ODI on Sunday (August 4).
Despite captain Rohit Sharma's explosive start early in the innings, India struggled massively against the spinners in the middle overs of the game. The opening duo of Rohit (64 off 44) and Shubman Gill (35 off 44) stitched a 97-run partnership but the tourists lost 6 wickets in the next 50 runs, digging themselves into a big hole.
All 6 wickets were taken by Jeffrey Vandersay, who left the mighty Indian batting line-up reeling in the spin-friendly conditions. Rohit, Gill, Virat Kohli (14), Shivam Dube (0), Shreyas Iyer (7) and KL Rahul (0) were his victims.
While Axar Patel tried to resurrect the innings with run-a-ball 44, he didn’t get ample support from the other end. Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka also returned with three scalps as India’s innings eventually folded for 208 in 42.2 overs.
After the game, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar said the team will have to address the batting issues but praised the impact of Vandersay.
"Was it a shock? I would yes, there is a surprise. But you anticipate and understand that in these conditions the game can turn on its head because there is so much spin on offer,” Nayar told reporters.
"Even if you look at the last game, it was relatively easy to score against the new ball. As the ball got older, the conditions when batting second got slightly tougher. Sometimes in tough conditions, especially in the 50-over format, this happens.
"We want to go back and understand, and rectify, why it happened twice in a row. The day before yesterday, we were able to stitch partnerships. But today we lost quite a few wickets in a bundle," he added.
Nayar also attributed India’s loss to Jeffrey Vandersay's excellent lengths and Sri Lanka's tenacious lower order batting after being reduced to 136/6 at one stage.
"They bowled well - I think Vandersay bowled the ideal length in these conditions. In such conditions, when the ball is turning - and the way Vandersay bowled today, used his finger, and bowled stump to stump - you get these phases when there is assistance from the pitch. I feel today we should give more credit to Sri Lanka," Nayar said.
"When you are batting first, there is less pressure. When you are chasing, the pressure is more because you have to keep an eye on the run rate, wickets. Whenever you bat first, you often have partnerships. Wellalage batted really well, both in the last game and this game. They scored important runs in the lower order," he added.
The assistant coach also defended the promotion of Shivam Dube and Axar Patel in the batting order above specialists such as Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul.
"My belief is that in any sport, position only matters if you're playing in different areas of a game. We lost wickets in the middle phase, and that's where the middle order batters batted. It's not as if middle order batters batted towards the end,” Nayar said.
"If you look at numbers like four, five, or six, maybe sometimes it can play games in your head. It was more about keeping a left-and-right combination, keeping in mind that there were offspinners, and a legspinner in the Sri Lanka team.
"The thought process was right. When it doesn't work out, these questions are asked often. But I've always believed that if a middle order batter bats as a middle order batter, it is the right decision," he further remarked.
With this defeat, India conceded 1-0 lead to Sri Lanka in the three-match ODI series. They will have to win the final ODI in Colombo on Wednesday (August 7) to avoid a series loss.
(ESPNCricinfo Inputs)
