Team India were humbled and humiliated as they plunged to their first-ever ODI series loss to Sri Lanka in 27 years. The 2-0 series loss was majorly due to the timid performance of the Indian cricket team with the bat. Twice in the first two matches, Rohit Sharma’s side lost momentum with the bat despite being in command.
Sri Lankan spin bowlers ran rampant against the Indian batting unit as Dunith Wellage and Jeffrey Vandersay in particular were the best bowlers. The duo was supported well by Akila Dhananjaya, Maheesh Theekshana, and Charith Asalanka during the course of the games.
There are now massive questions being asked of the Indian team about their approach to quality spin bowling. There are also criticisms being thrown around as far as the team selection goes.
Here are the three mistakes made by the Indian team during the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
3- Not playing Harshit Rana
It is no secret that Sri Lanka struggles against quality pace bowlers. Harshit Rana was selected for the ODI series but didn’t get to play even a single. The young pacer is not only quick but also gets good bounce off the wicket with the new ball. His death bowling too has been lauded in recent times as he had shown his skills during the IPL 2024 season for KKR. If Harshit Rana had played, the Sri Lankan batters would have failed to cope with his speed, especially the steep bounce he seems to get.
2- Not picking Hardik Pandya for the ODI series
Hardik Pandya is without a doubt one of the key match-winners for India. The decision to exclude the 30-year-old from the Indian team for the ODI series was baffling. Hardik Pandya could have played the series and made a huge difference. His ability to play spin and become the match-winner with the bat makes him a huge threat for opposition teams. Pandya could also have been used as a new ball bowler with India missing Jasprit Bumrah during the series.
1- Rohit Sharma giving his wickets away twice
The best batter for the Indian team was none other than Rohit Sharma with 157 runs from 3 matches. The veteran Indian batter had scores of 58, 64, and 35 during the three-match ODI series. While he was out LBW in the first ODI, Rohit Sharma will have to hold himself accountable for two bad shots in the 2nd and 3rd ODI matches. Rohit Sharma was batting well on 64 when he tried to play a reverse sweep and was caught by Pathum Nissanka. In the final ODI, he was batting on 35 off 19 balls when he went for a huge slog sweep and was caught behind by Kusal Mendis. Knowing that he was India’s best bet Rohit Sharma would be unhappy with the way he managed to gift his wickets away during the final two ODI matches against Sri Lanka.