Sri Lanka’s woes against India just don’t seem to stop as they have suffered yet another setback. The most experienced player in the side Rangana Herath has been ruled out of the third and final Test to be played at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi.
Due to a back problem, he has been released from the squad and as a replacement, young spinner Jefferey Vandersay has been roped in. Sri Lanka went down miserably in the 2nd Test in Nagpur and they need to win the 3rd Test to avoid another series defeat. It comes as a major blow to lose the most experienced lad as such a crucial juncture.
Even though Rangana Herath is a champion bowler yet somehow, he hasn’t been able to deliver against India. His record against the men in blue is the worst as compared to other cricketing nations.
In the ongoing series, he failed to pick up any wickets in the first Test in Kolkata and even in the second Test, he bagged just one wicket after bowling 39 overs in which he conceded 81 runs. Although he failed with the bowl, the veteran made a useful contribution with the bat at the Eden where he scored 67 runs that ultimately proved to be the difference between a draw and an Indian victory.
Tough road ahead for Sri Lanka
The Lankans had received a hammering at the hands of India across all formats, the last time Virat Kohli and his men traveled to the Island nation. But Sri Lanka went on to defeat Pakistan 2-0 in the Test series a few days ago which gave an impression that they will pose a tougher challenge to India this time around.
But the same old story has repeated itself once again as the No.1 Test side in the world has proved to be too good for Dinesh Chandimal and Co. To avoid a series defeat, they need to pull off something extraordinary in Delhi but that seems highly unlikely at this stage.