In Gautam Gambhir’s debut as Team India’s head coach, the team traveled to Sri Lanka for a white-ball series comprising three T20Is and three ODIs. India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, achieved a 3-0 sweep in the T20I series held in Pallekele last month. However, they faced an unexpected defeat in the ODI series against Charith Asalanka’s team. Dinesh Karthik shares the positives of India vs Sri Lanka ODI.
India failed to chase a target of 231 runs in the series opener at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on August 2, resulting in a tie. Sri Lanka then won the next two matches by 32 and 110 runs, respectively, securing their first bilateral ODI series victory over India since 1997.
“The biggest positive is that..” Dinesh Karthik on India vs Sri Lanka ODI
Despite a disappointing series where India, despite having star players like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, struggled, and suffered middle-order collapses, former India batter Dinesh Karthik highlighted some positives from the tour. Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik identified key takeaways from the series despite the team’s overall performance.
“The biggest positive is the fact that India played all-rounders and bravely attacked. So that is something I really like. No. 2 Riyan Parag, in his limited opportunities, is showing what he can do with the ball, which is again a small plus for us.” DK said.
“Other than that, I think Rohit’s batting is itself. The way he starts in powerplay. He is making batting look too easy in the series. Batted beautifully. These were the positives for me from this series.” He added.
“Not going to defend Virat..” Dinesh Karthik on ODI series loss
Karthik noted that the pitch was challenging for all the batters in the lineup. The wicketkeeper, who previously played alongside Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, mentioned that the surface in Colombo proved particularly tricky during the middle overs.
“In this series… let’s admit. Be it Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma or anyone else. With a slightly semi-new ball, between overs 8-30, it’s hard work. Nothing to worry about. Not too many pitches work that way, but it’s been a tough pitch to play spinners. I’m not going to defend Virat Kohli here, but playing spin here is very hard,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
The ODI series against Sri Lanka had marked the return of both Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the format after the World Cup.
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