🏏 India tour of Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka vs India, 3rd ODI, Colombo🏏 - Page 28

This is the highest total in the series. Sri Lanka keep improving with each game; 1st ODI - 230, 2nd ODI - 240 and now 248. This seemed like the best pitch to bat on for most parts. The Indian spinners didn't get much assistance for the good part of 20-30 overs which allowed Sri Lanka's top three to set the innings up. Nissanka and Avishka added 89 runs for the opening wicket and while the former fell short of his fifty, the latter fell four short of his hundred. Kusal Mendis struggled to find a tempo but he stuck around after Avishka's dismissal and got the boundaries away at the fag end. Sri Lanka got 31 runs in the last 3 overs and that might be a game-changer. India have struggled to chase down totals and this too won't be easy. The spinners did get help in the later of the innings and Sri Lanka will also hope for the same. Back soon with the reply..

Sri Lanka end up with 248 then. It's the highest total of this series, and they'll be pleased to have got there considering how much turn this pitch is taking. It turned a lot more when the ball became older: it will be interesting to see if that pattern repeats when India bat. Lovely innings at the top from Avishka Fernando, fell four short of a hundred and gave Riyan Parag his first ODI wicket. He went on to pick up two more, and this performance shows how much of an asset he can be, capable of bowling offbreaks and legbreaks and turning both appreciably.

Riyan Parag: A little disappointed, I could have given 10-15 runs less. It was turning in the back end. First 25 overs, there wasn't one bit of turn. If it had stayed that way, the score could have been close to 300. After 25 overs, it started to turn and it's a pretty good score. We pulled it back in the middle overs. 240-odd was a great effort by the boys. (When asked if he will bat at six) I am yet to know that, I am hoping somewhere around that.

Most overs of spin bowled by India in an ODI

41.2 vs WI Indore 2011

39 vs Kenya Gwalior 1998

37 vs SA Kochi 2000

37 vs SL Colombo RPS 2024 *

Seam vs spin in Sri Lanka innings

Seam: 1/87 in 13 overs (ER 6.69)

Spin: 6/160 in 37 overs (ER 4.32)

Mustafa Moudi: "Fun Fact: This is the Joint Highest Amount of Runs conceded by Mohammed Siraj in an ODI Innings. Interestingly, Both the times his Bowling Figures have been Exact same: 9-0-78-1 (Semi-Final of World Cup 2023 and Today) !!"

Today, Gill is overcautious. He has to score today.

SL 248/7 (50)

IND 15/0 (2.4)

CRR: 5.62 REQ: 4.94

India need 234 runs

Ashish: "Gill IMO is overly defensive in ODIs and especially when the pitch is tough to bat on. He might just need to learn a thing or two from Rohit that he needs to cash on when the batting conditions are best." --- Think it's a little harsh to compare anyone to Rohit at this point. What he's doing isn't normal.

Guneet: "Fun(ner) fact: Siraj's best and worst bowling figures are against SL in SL (best in Asia cup final)"

Rohit plays some different pitch man. Boys sharam karlo kuch. He's the only one contributing