3 reasons why Wanindu Hasaranga's absence is a massive blow to Sri Lanka for India ODIs
Sri Lanka's premier leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against India. The 27-year-old will miss the last two ODIs due to an injury to his left hamstring. He has been replaced by another leggie, Jeffrey Vandersay, for the remaining one-dayers against India.
Hasaranga's injury is the latest in a series that has been marred by fitness woes for the hosts. Before him, pacers Dilshan Madushanka and Matheesha Pathirana were ruled out of the ODIs due to a hamstring and shoulder injury, respectively. Before the start of the series, Dushmantha Chameera was ruled out due to bronchitis and respiratory infection, while Nuwan Thushara was ruled out of the T20Is due to a thumb injury.
An official update on Hasaranga on Saturday, August 3 stated:
"He experienced pain in his left hamstring while delivering the last ball of his 10th over during the first ODI. An MRI performed on the player, following this, confirmed the injury."
With the 27-year-old being ruled out of the last two ODIs against India, we analyze three reasons why his absence is a big blow to Sri Lanka.
#1 Hasaranga was the most experienced of Sri Lanka's bowlers in the series
As mentioned earlier, several key pacers from Sri Lanka have been ruled out of the white-ball series against the Men in Blue. The hosts were banking heavily on Hasaranga to deliver in the absence of the injured bowlers. He is, after all, the most experienced bowler in the team by some distance.
The versatile cricketer has the experience of 55 ODIs and 71 T20Is in which he has claimed 87 and 114 wickets, respectively, at an average of 25.88 and 15.69. If we take a look at the white-ball experience of other bowlers picked for the ongoing Sri Lanka series, Asitha Fernando has played eight ODIs and six T20Is, while Mohamed Shiraz made his one-day debut in the first match.
Dunith Wellalage, Player of the Match in the first ODI, has featured in 22 one-dayers so far, Akila Dananjaya has played 41 ODIs and 33 T20Is. Vandersay, who has been named as Hasaranga's replacement for the last two one-dayers against India, is 34 years old but has only featured in 21 ODIs and 14 T20Is. Sri Lanka will miss the expertise of their No. 1 leg-spinner.
#2 His absence will weaken the team's batting department as well
Sri Lanka will also miss Hasaranga in the batting department. While the 27-year-old is undoubtedly known for his bowling exploits, he is a more than handy batter. If we look at his batting record in white-ball cricket, the right-hander has scored 919 runs in 55 ODIs, with four half-centuries. In 71 T20Is, he has 675 runs to his name at a strike rate of 131.06, with two fifties.
Even in the first ODI against the Men in Blue, Hasaranga played a crucial knock, which helped Sri Lanka gain some momentum in the game after a poor start with the bat. The lower-order batter contributed 24 off 35 balls, hitting one four and two sixes. He added 36 runs for the seventh wicket with Wellalage at a swift pace. Sri Lanka will miss his services with the willow as well.
#3 He was beginning to find form after an underwhelming start in T20Is
Hasaranga picked up four wickets in the three-match T20I series at an average of 22.75 but at a pretty high economy rate of 9.10. It would be fair to say that the leg-spinner wasn't at his best in the T20I series. He was hammered for 34 runs in two overs in the second T20I.
The 27-year-old, however, made a strong comeback in the third and final match of the T20I series, registering figures of 2-29 from four overs. He followed it up with impressive figures of 3-58 in 10 overs in the first one-dayer. Hasaranga had just rediscovered his bowling rhythm. But the injury to him means that Sri Lanka will have to rework their bowling plan all over again.