Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj and Sri Lankan batter Kusal Mendis were involved in a heated verbal exchange during the third ODI of the India vs Sri Lanka series at the R. Premadasa Stadium. The incident occurred in the 39th over of the Sri Lankan innings. After delivering the third ball of the over, Siraj and Mendis exchanged words, with Siraj making hand gestures as he returned to his run-up. Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was seen encouraging Siraj to maintain his focus.
The confrontation seemed to motivate Siraj, as he dismissed Sadeera Samarawickrama for a golden duck on the fifth ball of the same over, reducing Sri Lanka to 184/4 after 38.5 overs.
Sri Lanka, having elected to bat first, started strongly with openers Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando adding 89 runs. Nissanka was dismissed by Axar Patel for 45. Avishka, who scored 96, was sent back by debutant Riyan Parag. Despite the strong start, Sri Lanka collapsed from 171/1 to 199/6, with Parag taking three wickets.
Sri Lanka’s innings of 248 in the third ODI marked their highest total of the series, showing steady improvement with scores of 230 and 240 in the previous matches. The pitch at the R. Premadasa Stadium appeared favorable for batting, particularly in the initial stages, allowing Sri Lanka’s top order to build a solid foundation. Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando added 89 runs for the first wicket, with Nissanka falling just short of a fifty and Fernando missing his century by four runs. Despite Kusal Mendis’s struggle to find rhythm, he managed to accelerate towards the end, contributing to Sri Lanka’s 31-run surge in the final three overs. India’s spinners found some assistance later in the innings, which Sri Lanka will hope to exploit when they bowl. Given India’s recent struggles in chasing, this total presents a challenging target.
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