SL vs IND

Sri Lanka have found an absolute superstar in Jeffrey Vandersay and he has bowled them to a victory today as they take a 1-0 lead. The series can now not be won by India but they will certainly be wanting to level things up in the final match coming up on Wednesday. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be looking to win a series against India in the ODI format after a really long time. Join us for that but for now this is Sourabh and Pradeep taking your leave, ciao!

Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka captain) : Definitely, I was pretty happy with the score that we got on this track. It was good enough. Good to have this kind of problem (plenty of spinners). Unbelievable from Vandersay, when he came on to bowl they had scored more than 90 runs. I'm definitely a batter whose job is to score runs for the team and can bowl a few overs (smiles).

Rohit Sharma (India captain): When you lose a game everything hurts, it's just not about those 10 overs, if you want to win, you have to play consistent cricket and these things happen. You got to adapt to what's in front of you, with left and right, thought it would be easier to rotate the strike, but that didn't happen and credit to Jeffrey. Sri Lanka played good cricket and are on the right side of the result. Not really, the reason I got 65 run because the way I batted, when I'm bating like that, the risks are there and that is how I want to bat. Whenever you get out, you get disappointed, if you don't cross the line and it's disappointing, that's what I felt and I don't want to compromise my intent and it's helping the team, overall we didn't play good cricket. We do understand, the nature of this surface, the nature of the game how it's going to go as well, it gets tougher in the middle overs, you have to capitalize the powerplay, you have to score as may as possible, that's what me and Gill did. Don't want to look too much into how we played today, we will have a talk and how we have to come back.

Jeffrey Vandersay is the Player of the Match for his stunning spell of bowling, picked up 6 for 33! Here's what he has to say: Praise the lord first for this performance, there was to of pressure coming into the line-up, I had to do something special, it's easy to take credit after this spell but the credit goes to the batter, such a tough wicket to bat on, put on 240 runs and that helped bowl the way I did. Hasaranga is the number one spinner, no doubt about it, I got to understand the atmosphere, team balance and everything, I had to keep motivating and keep pushing hard and that's what is required to play for the nation, I had to step up. Not really, there was assistance off the wicket, I was trying to hit the good areas and did the basics right. This is the game after sometime for me, once I got the first wicket, that built up some confidence and then kept on hitting the good areas.

Kamindu Mendis: It was a good effort, we did well in all three departments, the energy in the field was special, we supported our skipper and he did the job for us. When I was batting, the wicket wasn't turning much and 210 or 215 would be a score and glad to get to 240, credit goes to Wellalage too. I was working hard on my fielding, you have to take those half chances if you have to win the game. After the T20s we got together, we had plans for the ODI and executed well.

Sri Lanka defeat India by 32 runs and take a 1-0 lead

Kamindu Mendis 40(44) | Jeffrey Vandersay - 6/33 (10)
Rohit Sharma 64(44) | Washington Sundar - 3/30 (10)

Absolute jubilation in the Sri Lankan camp as they get one past India finally and get past the finish line with a comfortable margin in a remarkable come-from-behind victory.

JEFFREY VANDERSAY is the new superstar in Sri Lankan cricket as he has rattled this Indian batting line-up which is filled with superstars from top to bottom. The leg-spinner now holds the third-best figures for a spinner against India (6/33) with two countrymen in Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis ahead of him.

Chasing 241, it was a stock-standard start for India with openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill provided them a solid start. Rohit Sharma looked in ominous form and he made full use of the field restrictions sending the ball to all parts of the ground. Shubman Gill, too, played his part and the duo took India to 76/0 after the end of 10 overs. 

The openers were together till 97/0 in the 14th over but then JEFFREY VANDERSAY HAD SOMETHING TO SAY. He first removed Rohit Sharma and then the floodgates opened. Vandersay wrecked havoc on the batters and India found themselves 147/6 in less than 10 overs and the entire batting line up was blown away with the batters failing to counter the variations of the leg-spinner.

All-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar steadied the ship with the former playing a breezy innings. It looked like the two men were determined to take India past the finishing line but then an inspired bowling change from the Sri Lankan skipper Asalanka as he brought himself on and broke the partnership by removing Axar Patel. The bowlers could not offer much resistance lower down the order and as soon as Sundar fell in Asalanka's next over, it was a matter of time.

It ended with a run-out soon after and Sri Lanka completed a remarkable victory. 

Jeffrey Vandersay, remember, came into this match as an injury replacement for Wanindu Hasaranga. How amazing is that!

Not to forget, Sri Lanka were 136/6 with bat in hand themselves but lower order runs in consecutive games from Wellalage and Kamindu got them to a score which they could bowl at or as it turned out an above-par one.

42.2 Charith Asalanka to Kuldeep Yadav, RUN-OUT! HAS ARSHDEEP RAN HIMSELF OUT? YES! IT'S ALL OVER! Sri Lanka take the lead in this three match ODI series! Short and angled into the batter, Kuldeep went back to defend, but bounced it over the stumps. Arshdeep takes off late, throw comes to the keeper as Mendis whips the bails out in flash and Arshdeep finds himself well short. Sri Lanka 1-0 up in the series now!

Arshdeep Singh run out (Sameera Samarawickrama / Kusal Mendis) 3(4b, 0x4, 0x6).

42.1 Charith Asalanka to Arshdeep Singh, good length on the fifth stump and straightened. Arshdeep waits on the backfoot, turned it down to long-on for one.

Vandersay bowls out with figures of [10.0-0-33-6] and the entire dugout stands up in appreciation. The players run up to congratulate him as well. what a masterclass this has been from the 34-year old.

41.6 Jeffrey Vandersay to Kuldeep Yadav, good length on the off-stump, Kuldeep leans and keeps it out. End of a sensational spell of bowling!

41.6 Jeffrey Vandersay to Kuldeep Yadav, WIDE! Good length but pitched on the leg-stump and spun down the leg-side, another wide has been called.

41.5 Jeffrey Vandersay to Kuldeep Yadav, length delivery on the off-stump, Kuldeep attempts the reverse sweep, but can't quite time it, rolls to short extra-cover.