IND vs SL 2021: 3 talking points from India's resounding win in the 1st ODI
A comprehensive all-round display helped the Indian cricket team coast to a seven-wicket win in the opening game of the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, July 18.
As all the Indian bowlers barring Bhuvneshwar Kumar chipped in with wickets, Sri Lanka managed only 262 after winning the toss and electing to bat first. In response, a whirlwind powerplay cameo from Prithvi Shaw and supporting acts from all the other batsmen helped the visitors cross the finish line with more than 13 overs to spare.
Here are three main talking points from the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka.
#3 Shikhar Dhawan's captaincy debut couldn't have gone any better
India's 25th ODI captain Shikhar Dhawan had a superb outing in his first match at the helm. His bowling changes were decent as he rotated the spinners with aplomb and brought the pacers back into the attack whenever he needed to wrest control of the innings. The 35-year-old even plucked two stunning diving catches.
In the run-chase, Dhawan barely got any strike during the powerplay but kept things ticking with singles and doubles. As Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan peppered the boundary from the other end, the southpaw was content with placing himself at the non-striker's end and ushering his team over the line.
Eventually, Dhawan, too, stepped on the pedal and finished on an unbeaten 86. He extended his stellar record against Sri Lanka, becoming the fastest man to reach the 1000-run landmark against the island nation (17 innings).
#2 Sri Lanka prove they won't go down without a fight
Sri Lanka are severely undermanned in this ODI series. Regular skipper Kusal Perera was ruled out of the assignment with injury, while former captain Angelo Mathews withdrew citing personal reasons. Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis are serving a one-year ban for their indiscretions on the England tour. Exciting young pacer Binura Fernando was also sidelined by injury.
However, with several new faces in the playing XI, Sri Lanka put up a fight in the series opener against India. Avishka Fernando, returning to the side after recovering from an injury, played freely in the powerplay and gave his team the perfect platform to launch.
Although they couldn't use the platform as well as they'd have liked, Sri Lanka saw many players make an impression. Debutant Bhanuka Rajapaksa struck two fours and two sixes in 22 balls; Charith Asalanka was assured at the crease for the most part; Chamika Karunaratne played a crucial hand at the death.
Even in the second innings, Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera bowled testing spells, making the Indian batsmen work for their runs. Sri Lanka may have lost by a whopping eight-wicket margin, but they proved they won't be pushovers.
#1 India's three-horned spin demon provides much-needed middle-overs control
On a slowish track in Colombo, India's spinners wreaked havoc in the middle overs. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, playing together in an ODI once again, picked up two wickets apiece. Krunal Pandya, whose bowling has been under the scanner, conceded only 26 runs in his 10 overs and kept a tight leash on the Sri Lankan batsmen.
It was a welcome change of fortune for India, whose white-ball spinners have struggled with consistency over the last two years. The stringent field restrictions and a pace-dominant captain in Virat Kohli haven't helped matters, leaving the Men in Blue with numerous questions to answer ahead of the T20 World Cup.
With more displays like the one we saw in the series opener, these questions will answer themselves.