SL vs IND | We started well but couldn’t keep the rhythm going with the bat, admits Dasun Shanaka

Avishka Fernando gave Sri Lanka a great start after they won the toss and elected to bat first in Colombo. Minod Bhanuka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa from thereon, gave the hosts a great show in the middle-overs, especially the latter, who took the attack to the Indian spinners on his ODI debut, batting at a great strike rate. 

However, the Sri Lankan middle-order fell flat on their face in the aftermath, crashing to 166/5 in the 38th over of the innings. While skipper Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne put on a show towards the end, giving the hosts a decent total of 262, it was always going to be tough to defend against an Indian side, which was uber-aggressive. 

In response, Prithvi Shaw offered the perfect start for the visitors, driving the ball often to the boundary. Ishan Kishan picked up from where Shaw left as the Indian team strolled to a victory on the back of complete team performance, with the Indian skipper Shikhar Dhawan ending up with a 95-ball 86. 

Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka admitted that they started well with the bat but couldn’t keep the rhythm going. He also admitted that with the ball, the hosts need to bowl with more variations, which would force the Indian batsmen to take risks. 

“We started well but the ball was hanging a bit, they bowled well. Our batsmen couldn't get the rhythm going. I am happy to take responsibility of the captaincy. The Indians batted aggressively. We needed to vary the pace as the ball was coming onto the bat nicely. In the next game, we will have to improve on that," Shanaka said in the post-match presentation.