“You got to adapt…” Rohit Sharma ‘disappointed’ with Indian batsman’s adaptability to unknown pitches in the 2nd ODI

New Delhi: After thumping the Sri Lankan side in the T20Is (India won 3-0), India’s ODI journey seems to have hit a major roadblock. After tying the first match at 230 runs, the Indian team succumbed to a paltry total of 240 runs. Eventually, the men in blue lost the match by 32 runs.

Watch: Full Highlights- India vs Sri Lanka- 2nd ODI

One of the main reasons for India’s loss has been the pathetic batting display in the middle overs. Jeffrey Vandersay, Sri Lanka’s number-one leg spinner was the main orchestrator of the Indian collapse in the second innings. The Lankan leg-spinner ended the day with a magnificent 6-fer after spending only 33 runs.

Speaking about the game in the post-match conference, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma looked visibly disappointed as he remarked, “When you lose a game, everything hurts. It’s not just about those 10 overs (when India lost six wickets for 50 runs)…” Furthermore, the Indian skipper said that battling the middle overs in the batting department will be one of the main concerns for the support staff.

“You got to adapt to what’s in front of you…”- Rohit Sharma

One of the major points of concern for the Indian team was the lack of adaptability of the Indian batters on unknown pitches. Rohit addressed the issue in the post-match conference as he remarked “You got to adapt to what’s in front of you. With left-right (combination of batsmen), we felt it’ll be easier to rotate strike…”

On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s winning captain Charith Asalanka said that their total of 240 was something that the Islanders had anticipated would be a good score on a turning track of Colombo which had a good purchase for the spinners. “I was happy with the score — 240 was good enough…”

Watch: Full Highlights- India vs Sri Lanka- 1st ODI

Meanwhile, a smiling man of the match awardee- Jeffrey Vandersay remarked that he was under tremendous pressure coming as a substitute for Wanidu Hasaranga who has become Sri Lanka’s number 1 leg spinner in white ball cricket in recent times. Hasaranga was ruled out of the side due to a hamstring injury. In the closing remarks, the 34-year-old stressed the fact that he needs to push himself and not become complacent to repeat this match-winning performance.

Where to watch the India tour of Sri Lanka?

India’s ongoing tour to Sri Lanka can be watched on the Sony Sports Network as well as the Sony LIV app.