The 3rd ODI started with a positive for Team India as Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and was elected to bat first. India had already won the series by registering 2 wins in a 3 match ODI series. Team India made 6 changes in the playing XI for the 3rd ODI. 5 of the 6 players were Indian debutants, Nitish Rana, Sanju Samson, Krishnappa Gowtham, Chetan Sakariya, and Rahul Chahar.
Indian innings started in a glorious way, with Prithvi Shaw in form, but soon after Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket. A partnership was budding in between Prithvi Shaw and Sanju Samson, but Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka took Shaw’s wicket, therefore, breaking their partnership. Sanju Samson lost his wicket soon after Shaw.
Sri Lanka win! 👏
Half-centuries from Fernando and Rajapaksa propel the hosts to a three-wicket victory despite a late slide.
India still win the series 2-1.#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/luzq5gmzAJ
— RP 777 News (@RP777News) July 23, 2021
Indian team finally looked in control with Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav on the crease. Suryakumar was playing brilliantly but rain interrupted the match.
Indian innings were divided into two halves, the fast and run-driven half before the rain and the gloomy half where India lost 7 wickets in quick succession and could add up only 78 runs.
Sri Lankan bowlers made it difficult for India to score runs in the second half. Both Akila Dananjaya and Praveen Jayawickrama bagged 3-3 wickets restricting India to 225 runs in 43.1 overs.
The second innings was a setback for India. Poor fielding performance, dropping catches, and giving runs to the hosts, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka very comfortably completed their first 100 runs with the loss of just one wicket. The partnership between Avishka Fernando and Bhanuka Rajapaksha was broken by Chetan Sakariya. Sakariya, the Indian debutant took his first international wicket. India got a breakthrough with Rajapaksha’s wicket and Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
India took 7 wickets but sadly there were not many runs on the board to defend which led to India’s loss in the 3rd ODI. The Indian debutants Chetan Sakariya and Rahul Chahar took some crucial wickets but the other changes in the XI were questionable.
