IND vs SL 2021: 3 mistakes that cost India the 3rd ODI
As the hosts of the 2023 World Cup, India don't have much riding on the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. However, the Men in Blue lost the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka to squander the opportunity to leapfrog Australia in the standings.
After captain Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and opted to bat first, India managed only 225 before being bowled out in the 44th over. Sri Lanka were always ahead in the run-chase, and despite an impressive spell of bowling from Rahul Chahar, crossed the finish line with three wickets and eight overs to spare.
Here are three major reasons why India lost the third ODI against Sri Lanka.
#3 India's batsmen threw away starts carelessly
Over the first two games, as India's batsmen led their team to consecutive wins, their Sri Lankan counterparts were slandered for their apparent lack of discipline at the crease. The host batsmen had thrown away several starts, leaving the team without an anchor to bat through the innings.
The third ODI saw a reversal of roles. While Avishka Fernando and Bhanuka Rajapaksa tallied fifties, no Indian batsman reached the milestone. The result was that the visitors were bowled out for just 225, with Prithvi Shaw the top-scorer (49 off 49).
Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson scored 40s as well, while Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya and Shikhar Dhawan spent some time in the middle but failed to convert their starts. Various experts and fans have pointed out that India can't afford to throw away their wickets in this manner, especially after winning the toss and batting first.
#2 India dropped five catches in the third ODI
India dropped as many as five catches in the third ODI, some of which were totally straightforward.
Captain Dhawan was the first culprit as he shelled a difficult diving chance at short mid-wicket to hand Bhanuka Rajapaksa his first reprieve of the game. Three overs later, the southpaw would benefit from Chetan Sakariya's tough drop in the deep. Rajapaksa would then find deep square-leg off Sakariya, only for Nitish Rana to completely bungle a sitter.
Avishka Fernando was dropped by Manish Pandey at mid-wicket in the 31st over, just when it seemed like India were clawing their way back into the contest. Finally, Prithvi Shaw shelled a catchable chance at second slip off the bat of Ramesh Mendis, who went on to hit the winning runs for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's batsmen did convert their starts as mentioned above, but India had ample opportunities to prevent that from happening.
#1 India made as many as six changes
In a shock move ahead of the third ODI, India made six changes to the playing XI that beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the previous game. Five players - Nitish Rana, Chetan Sakariya, Rahul Chahar, Krishnappa Gowtham and Sanju Samson - were handed debuts, while Navdeep Saini also made his first appearance on the tour.
Unfortunately for India, the move didn't pay off. Sakariya, Samson and Chahar were the only three players among the six who made an impact, with the rest putting in disappointing individual displays. Sri Lanka made the most of the chance they were presented, outplaying the Indians with smart control of the middle overs in the first innings and utilization of the batting powerplay.
India didn't have much at stake in the third ODI, but should they have given players like Ishan Kishan and Kuldeep Yadav another game to build their confidence? Probably.