“We have played really good cricket in the past”: Rohit Sharma refuses to blame batters after defeat in second ODI vs Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka defeated India by 33 runs in the second ODI, with Jeffrey Vandersay taking six wickets. Rohit Sharma said India would look at how it batted in the middle overs.

“We do understand the nature of this surface and how the game is going to go as well, because obviously it gets really, really tough during the middle overs. So you have to try and capitalize on the power play when there are only two fielders outside.

“We have played really good cricket in the past so I don’t want to look too much into how we play and how we played today as well. There is certainly going to be some talk on how we need to bat in the middle overs and things like that.”

This was Sri Lanka’s first win in seven ODI games against India, losing six and tying the series opener on Friday.

India must now win the final ODI on Wednesday to avoid losing the three-match series.

Sharma hit four sixes and five boundaries in his 64 runs off 44 deliveries.

His opening partner Shubman Gill made 35 before falling to another brilliant diving catch from Kamindu Mendis at slip off Vandersay. Four balls later Shivam Dube (0) fell leg before wicket to Vandersay.

The spinner also accounted for Virat Kohli (14) in another lbw dismissal and bowled KL Rahul (0) to reduce India to 147-6 after 23.1 overs.

Axar Patel and Washington Sundar showed some fight by adding 38 runs for the seventh wicket.

But Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka’s off-spin had Patel caught-and-bowled for 44, which included two sixes and four boundaries. When Sundar departed for 15, lbw to Asalanka, India had lost all its specialist batters and the tailenders did not last long despite no pressure for quick runs.

Asalanka finished with 3-20. He had helped his team tie the first match with figures of 3-30.

Earlier, India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj picked up a wicket off the first ball of Sri Lanka’s innings, having in-form batter Nissanka caught behind by Rahul.

Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis rebuilt the innings cautiously, adding 74 runs for the second wicket. Off spinner Sundar then picked up two wickets in two balls to check Sri Lanka’s progress.

Sundar first had Fernando (40) caught-and-bowled in the last delivery of the 17th over and returned in the 19th over to trap Kusal Mendis (30) lbw in the first ball.

Sadeera Samarawickrama and Asalanka added 32 runs for the fourth wicket. Left-arm spinner Patel dismissed Samarawickrama (14), who was caught by Kohli with Sri Lanka’s total on 111.

Janith Liyanage (12) and Asalanka (25) were dismissed to leave Sri Lanka on 136-6 with the hosts in trouble, given that their middle and lower middle orders had been brittle in recent matches.

But Dunith Wellalage provided a 35-ball 39, adding 72 runs for the seventh wicket with Kamindu Mendis, who made 40 before being run out off the penultimate ball of the innings.

Kamindu Mendis had added a crucial 31 runs off 22 deliveries for the eighth wicket with Akila Dananjaya, who was run out for 15 runs off the last ball.

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