Skipper Rohit Sharma played on a different ‘track’ from his other colleagues, who were thoroughly exposed against quality spin bowling as Sri Lanka managed to eke out a tie against India in a low-scoring but thrilling opening ODI here on Friday.
In a chase of 231, skipper Rohit smashed 58 off 47 balls on a rank turner with variable bounce, taking his team to 71 in 10 overs but all the other batters never looked comfortable against an army of Lankan spinners as skipper Charith Asalanka got wickets off back-to-back deliveries to play his part in the 44th tie in the history of ODI cricket.
When Shivam Dube (25) hit those two sixes and a boundary through the extra cover to tie the scores, it seemed like Sri Lanka’s woes would continue, but Asalanka took it upon himself to at least earn a psychological win for the home team.