Source: indianexpress.com
India vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI at Dharmsala: Sri Lanka chased down the easy target of 113 runs set by India.
Live Cricket Score, India Vs Sri Lanka at Dharamsala: India have been bowled out for a paltry 112 runs in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala. Having won the toss, Sri Lanka chose to bowl first and, at the time, it seemed like a bad decision with pundits and India’s skipper Rohit Sharma thinking it is a “win-toss-bat-first” surface. But Perera was quickly proven right by the combination of Suranga Lakmal and Angelo Mathews who got the ball to move around as per their whim. The first wicket fell without a run on the board and Rohit went for two runs. Soon, India were in tatters at 29/7 with 20 overs gone. Only MS Dhoni was the set batsman left to steer India to possible safety. But that was still far away with India on the verge of bettering their previous lowest ODI total. However, he got support from Kuldeep Yadav at the other who notched 19 runs.
But the lion’s share of onus rested on Dhoni and his vastly experienced shoulders – and he made it count. Former India captain struck a fine 65 run knock before perishing in an attempt at increasing the tempo. It gives the Indian bowlers something to bowl at and defend but it looks a far cry. For Sri Lanka, Lakmal was the pick of the bowlers as he bowled 10 overs continuously and conceded just 13 runs for four wickets. He got the ball to move around as he wished and the batsmen had no clue how to react – something he had done back in the first Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
