‘They usually play on good wickets and small boundaries’ – Maheesh Theekshana’s dig at India after ODI series debacle

Sri Lanka Team. (Photo by Sameera Peiris/Getty Images)

The three-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo came to a close with the hosts winning 0-2. Sri Lankan off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana noted that the Indian batters failed to get accustomed to the spin-friendly tracks on a big ground like Colombo as they are suited to playing on flat wickets and small boundaries in their backyard.

India had a full-strength batting lineup, but the Sri Lankan bowlers managed to bowl out India in all three matches. Captain Rohit Sharma lost the toss on all three occasions and had to bat second on pitches which crumbled as the games went along. The Men in Blue were dismissed for scores of 230, 208, and 138 in the three games.

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While leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay wreaked havoc in the second ODI with a six-for, left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage starred with a five-for in the third.

“They (India) usually play on good wickets and small boundaries in India. We knew playing in Premadasa, if there’s little bit turn, we can take advantage because we have good spinners,” Theekshana was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

“Rohit came into bat and he attacked me, Asitha got a good start, came back and got Shubman, and then Wellalage was brilliant, Vandersay did a great job … Hasaranga in the first game, Akila bowled economically in both the games. I wanted to bowl more dot balls. It was a team effort. All the players contributed, that’s why we ended up winning 2-0,” he added.

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The mystery spinner didn’t play the first two matches but came into the side for the third game in place of Akila Dananjaya. Theekshana picked up the wickets of Rishabh Pant and Washington Sundar to finish with figures of 2/45 in eight overs. Sri Lanka received a lot of praise from the cricket fraternity for beating the top-ranked ODI side with many of their frontline bowlers, including Dushmantha Chameera and Matheesha Pathirana, missing the series due to injuries.