"There was a lot of pressure coming into the line-up, I had to do something special" - Jeffrey Vandersay on his 6/33 in 2nd IND vs SL ODI
Sri Lankan leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay after his match-winning spell of 6/33 against India on Sunday said he was under "a lot of pressure" coming into the team which pushed him to do "something special".
Vandersay made it to the Sri Lankan 11 for the second ODI of the three-match series because lead spinner and captian Wanindu Hasaranga was sidelined due to injury. The 34-year-old took out six of the top-seven Indian batters, with four wickets being LBW or bowled, to help Sri Lanka bowl the visitors out for just 208, 32 runs short of the target.
"There was a lot of pressure coming into the line-up, I had to do something special," Vandersay said after the match. "It's easy to take credit after this spell but the credit goes to the batters. On such a tough wicket to bat on, they put on 240 runs and that helped me bowl the way I did. Hasaranga is the number one spinner, no doubt about it. I got to understand the atmosphere, team balance and everything, I had to stay motivated and keep pushing hard and that's what is required to play for the nation."
6/33 are the third-best figures recorded by a spinner against India in an ODI and the best for a wrist spinner.
"Once I got the first wicket, that built up some confidence" - Jeffrey Vandersay on his spell
This was the first time Vandersay had bowled in an ODI in over seven months. He said his first wicket -- of the match's highest run-scorer Rohit Sharma to break the 97-run opening stand -- gave him the confidence he needed to find consistency.
"There was assistance off the wicket, I was trying to hit the good areas and did the basics right. This is the first game after sometime for me, once I got the first wicket, that built up some confidence and then kept on hitting the good areas," he said.
Sri Lanka took a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series and will now play to take the trophy home in the final game on Wednesday.