West Indies tri-series 2013: Five reasons why India lost against Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka exacted their revenge for the Champions Trophy defeat they suffered at the hands of India in the semifinals. Put into bat by stand-in skipper Virat Kohli, Mahela Jayawardene and Upul Tharanga put up a massive opening stand of 213 runs that spurred Sri Lanka to a total of 348.

Upul Tharanga, who is making a return to this Sri Lankan side due to the absence of Tillakaratne Dilshan, went on to score 174 runs and was declared man-of-the-match. India looked lacklustre in the field, and the bowling department failed to extract anything from the pitch after the captain decided he wanted to make first use of the conditions.

The batting line-up was expected to put up a fight in spite of the heavy total but went into a shell in the first 10 overs, and after the dismissal of Virat Kohli, virtually conceded defeat.

India have now lost two consecutive games in the triangular series and still don’t have any points on the board which leaves them with a very hard task at hand. They will need to win both their games and if the permutations and combinations don’t go their way, they might need to win one with a bonus point.

The results show that the game of cricket can be a great leveler as this side was tormenting the oppositions in England with ease. However, these results, though a cause for concern, should not create a panic attack.

Here are a number of factors which contributed to India’s defeat:

5. Fatigue

It was hardly a week after the Champions Trophy triumph that the Indian side was thrown into yet another competitive event. These Indian players have been playing for a long time now, from the Indian Premier League to the Champions Trophy, to now the tri-series, going across the world without much break.

The body language in the match against Sri Lanka was a clear indication of the fact that their bodies needed rest. The burnout will not only hurt India in the long run as players become prone to injuries, it will also add to their worries regarding the fast-bowling department.

We have seen how some quality bowlers have suffered burnouts and faded away. India must not allow the same to happen to this set of players.