Sri Lanka vs India, 2017: 5 reasons why Sri Lanka lost the 2nd ODI

India won the second of the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka at Pallekele by three wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the series. But at one point, when Indian batsmen fell from 109/1 to 131/7, it seemed as though Sri Lanka’s long-awaited moment of glory had arrived.

MS Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar put up 100 runs for the eighth wicket to take India home. Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah’s 4-43 helped restrict Sri Lanka to an average score of 236 in the first innings. The start to the second innings was delayed by the rain, due to which India’s total was revised to 231 runs from 47 overs.

When India’s middle-order fell like a pack of cards, Sri Lanka had a golden opportunity to make a comeback in the series. But Akila Dhananjaya’s six-wicket haul came in a losing cause. Here are five reasons why Sri Lanka lost despite pushing India to the brink.

#5 Poor captaincy

Angelo Mathews relinquished his captaincy after the ODI series defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe last month, and Upul Tharanga was made his successor. Given that Akila Dhananjaya was in a stunning form, having taken six wickets in only his first innings against India, Tharanga should have gambled with him for a little longer.

But instead, the young bowler bowled only 8 overs and did not complete his quota. The Indian batsmen, MS Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, made the most of Akila’s absence and took India home comfortably.

Dhananjaya, who snapped up his career best figures of 6/54, was absolutely unplayable during his overs. He also outfoxed KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav in a single over as none of the batsmen could pick the 24-year-old’s googlies.