The first One Day International (ODI) match between India and Sri Lanka ended in a dramatic tie. In the first match of the three-game ODI series held on Friday, Sri Lanka batted first and scored 230 runs for 8 wickets in 50 overs.
In response, India was all out for 230 runs in 47.5 overs. According to the rules, a tie in any bilateral series match outside of a tournament does not lead to a Super Over. This was the 44th tie in ODI history.
The last ODI tie occurred in June last year during the World Cup qualifiers in Harare between the West Indies and the Netherlands. The Netherlands won that match in the Super Over because it was part of a tournament.
After winning the toss in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s top-order batsmen struggled except for opener Pathum Nissanka. Sri Lanka lost five wickets for 101 runs. Nissanka anchored one end, scoring 56 runs off 75 balls with 9 fours. Among the recognized batsmen, Avishka Fernando scored 1, Kusal Mendis 14, Sadeera Samarawickrama 8, captain Charith Asalanka 14, and Dhananjaya de Silva 20.
Despite his teammates’ failures, Dunith Wellalage, batting at number seven, put up a strong resistance against the Indian bowlers. Wellalage added 123 runs with partnerships for the sixth to eighth wickets with Liyanage, Hasaranga de Silva, and Akila Dananjaya. Wellalage also scored his first half-century in his 22-match ODI career.
Wellalage remained unbeaten until the end, helping Sri Lanka to a fighting total of 230 runs for 8 wickets in 50 overs. He scored 67 runs off 65 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes. India’s Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel took 2 wickets each.
In reply, the Indian openers, captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, provided a strong start, scoring 75 runs off 76 balls. Gill was out for 35, while Rohit reached his 56th half-century in ODIs, scoring 58 runs off 47 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes.
After Rohit’s dismissal, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer formed a partnership of 43 runs off 45 balls for the fourth wicket. However, Kohli was out for 24, and Iyer for 23, putting India under pressure. India lost five wickets for 132 runs. Lokesh Rahul and Patel then formed a 92-ball 57-run partnership for the sixth wicket to bring India back into the game.
However, when Rahul was out for 31 and Patel for 33, Sri Lanka came back into the match. India lost their seventh wicket at 197 runs.
Shivam Dube kept India’s hopes alive towards the end. His 25 runs off 24 balls helped India to tie the match. Spinner Asalanka took Dube’s wicket on the fourth ball of the 48th over and Arshdeep’s wicket on the fifth ball, saving Sri Lanka from a certain defeat. India was all out for 230 runs with 13 balls remaining. Sri Lanka’s Hasaranga and Asalanka took 3 wickets each.
India and Sri Lanka will play the second match of the series at the same venue on August 4.
