India’s cricket team has faced a shocking defeat against Sri Lanka in the ongoing ODI series, marking the first time in 27 years that they have failed to win a bilateral ODI series against the island nation.
Following a tied first ODI, India lost the second match by 32 runs, and then the 3rd and final ODI by a big margin of 110 runs. The below-par performance is raising questions about their performance and strategy.
Here are three key reasons why India lost to Sri Lanka after such a long period of dominance.
1. Struggles Against Spin Bowling
One of the most significant factors contributing to India’s loss was their inability to handle Sri Lanka’s spin attack, particularly the performance of Jeffrey Vandersay and Dunith Wellalage. In 3 ODI matches, they both shared 17 wickets.
Their abilities to turn the ball both ways left Indian batters struggling, as they failed to read his variations effectively.
Key players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer were all dismissed by spinners clever bowling.
The Indian batting lineup, which has historically been strong against spin, appeared helpless against leg-spin and googlies.
The spin dominance can be easily seen in the fact that 27 out of 30 Indian wickets in the series fell to spinners.
2. Lack of Middle-Order Partnerships
Another crucial reason for India’s defeat was the lack of substantial partnerships in the middle order.
After a promising start, the Indian batting order failed to build on the initial momentum. The middle-order batsmen, including KL Rahul, Shivam Dube, and Shreyas Iyer, could not form the necessary partnerships to stabilize the innings.
India’s middle order has been inconsistent throughout the series, failing to contribute significantly in both ODIs. In the whole ODI series, after the opening partnership was broken, the team lost wickets at regular intervals, which derailed their chase.
The collapse highlighted the fragility of the batting lineup and their inability to recover from setbacks.
3. Experimentation with Batting Order
Under the new head coach Gautam Gambhir, India has been experimenting with their batting order. While this approach may work in T20 cricket, it has not translated effectively into the ODI format.
The decision to shuffle the batting order, including promoting players like Shivam Dube to counter Sri Lanka’s spinners, has led to confusion and inconsistency in performance.
This experimentation, rather than providing tactical advantages, has resulted in a disjointed batting lineup that struggles to find rhythm.
The lack of a settled batting order has contributed to the team’s inability to form partnerships and build innings, ultimately leading to their downfall in crucial matches.