Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay’s magical six-wicket haul robbed the roar from Rohit Sharma’s brutal fifty as Sri Lanka etched an emotional 32-run win over India in the second ODI in Colombo on Sunday.
Sri Lanka now lead the three match series 1-0 after the first match ended in a tie. India were asked to chase down 241 on a pitch that had plenty of assistance for the spinners, and they ended up at 208 all out in 42.2 overs with Vandersay wrecking them with a haul of six for 33. A different result loomed as long as skipper Rohit was at the crease, creaming the Lankan bowlers enroute to his 64 off 44 balls (5x4, 4x6).
Unmindful of the nature of the pitch, Rohit cut, swept and pulled spinners Dunith Wellalage and Akila Dananjaya and pacer Asitha Fernando to all parts of the ground in the company of a compact Shubman Gill (35, 44b) as India waltzed to 97 in just 13.3 overs.
But a fatal reverse sweep off Vandersay that was taken by a diving Pathum Nissanka snapped Rohit’s stay, and it also put the Indian batting unit in a tailspin. The 97 for one became 116 for two in 17.1 overs and it transpired into even trickier 116 for three four balls later. But more shocks were in store for the Indians as they tumbled to 123 for four, 133 for five and eventually to 147 for six. That was six wickets for 50 runs in the span of 10 overs, and the dance of destruction was performed by one man -Vandersay -who came in as a replacement for injured Wanindu Hasaranga.
