IND vs SL: Sri Lanka have achieved a historic series win as they have thrashed the No. 1 ranked ODI team to win the three-match ODI series by 2-0. It was historic because it took Sri Lanka 27 years to beat India at home in a bilateral series.
But it was certainly not a result Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma would have thought of. This was the first ODI series as head coach for Gambhir and only the third time that Rohit Sharma lost a bilateral series as an ODI captain.
So, what was the reason that strong favorites India couldn’t even compete in the IND vs SL series? Here we will discuss three major reasons which caused India to lose the IND vs SL ODI series.
IND vs SL: Three Reasons Why India Suffered a humiliating defeat against Sri Lanka
3. Player’s Accountability
One prime reason behind the series loss is that none of the Indian batters played with a responsibility. The Indian captain Rohit Sharma was the top scorer with 157 runs in three innings, but he got out while playing rash shots. He didn’t try to take the game long and threw his wicket away.
One can argue that’s how he plays, but not just him; other Indian batters also got out playing shots, which wasn’t required. No one took the responsibility to take the game deep and try to finish it for the team.
2. Non-performing Middle Order
Players like Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul, who are the main pillars for Indian middle order in this format, played an ODI before the IND vs SL series back in November 2023. They haven’t played ODIs since then. They were underprepared, which was pretty visible in this series.
None of the Indian middle order batter looked comfortable, and they were totally rusty. India will only have three ODIs before the Champions Trophy 2025, and that’s where they won’t have enough matches to prepare. This can be the problem in that tournament as well.
1. Inability to Play Spin
This will not be a wrong statement to say that the IND vs SL series exposed the Indian batters against spinners. There was a time when Indian batters were known to play spin better, but that was completely different in this series.
Experienced players like Virat, Rahul, and Iyer surrendered against Dunith Wellalage and Jeffrey Vandersay, who don’t have enough international experience. The pitches in the Champions Trophy are expected to be spin-friendly, so it will be a big headache for the Indian team.
Also Read: Hitman Rohit Sharma eyes Chris Gayle’s massive six-hitting record during 3rd IND vs SL ODI
