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Sri Lanka thumped India by 110 runs in the third ODI of the three-match series at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday, August 7. With the comprehensive win, the Lankans also clinched the series 2-0. The first match ended in a tie, while the hosts won the second game by a reasonably comfortable margin of 32 runs.
The Lankans won the toss and batted first in the third and final ODI of the series. They put up a competitive 248-7 on the board as Avishka Fernando top-scored with 96 off 102, while Kusal Mendis contributed 59 off 82 and Pathum Nissanka 45 off 65. Kamindu Mendis (23* off 19) also chipped in with a nice cameo. For India, debutant Riyan Parag starred with 3-54 from nine overs.
Chasing 249, India were rolled over for 138 in just 26.1 overs. Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage ran through the Men in Blue batting line-up with figures of 5-27. Sri Lanka's 2-0 triumph marked their first bilateral ODI series win over India in 27 years. The Lankans last beat India in a bilateral one-day series in August 1997. In a three-match series that was played in Sri Lanka, the hosts registered a 3-0 win.
On that note, let's take a look at India's playing XI from the last time they lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka and where they are now.
Openers: Sachin Tendulkar & Sourav Ganguly
Sachin Tendulkar was captain of the Indian team that lost the three-match series in Sri Lanka 3-0 in 1997. He scored 39 off 32 in the third ODI in Colombo (Sinhalese Sports Club Ground), which India lost by nine runs. The batting legend retired from international cricket in November 2013. He is now the mentor of the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sourav Ganguly was out for 17 off 23 in the third ODI in Colombo in 1997. After a stellar career, he retired from international cricket in 2008 and from all forms of cricket in 2012. Ganguly was the BCCI President from 2019 to 2022. He is currently the Director of Cricket at Delhi Capitals (DC).
Middle & lower order: Robin Singh, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia
Robin Singh batted at No. 3 in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1997, scoring 28 off 41 balls. He retired from all forms of cricket in 2004. Post-retirement, Singh took up coaching and was also associated with MI for several years. In 2023, he was named consultant by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association for its Academy and satellite centers on a two-year contract.
Rahul Dravid scored 42 off 68 in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in 1997 in Colombo. He was recently in the news as he was the coach of the Indian team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup. Dravid was also a coach when India finished runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC).
Mohammad Azharuddin top-scored for India with 65 off 68 in the third ODI in Colombo in 1997. He was handed a life ban by BCCI for his alleged involvement in match-fixing. However, the former India captain contested the ban and got it overturned. Apart from being a Congress politician, Azhar is also a former president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).
Ajay Jadeja, who contributed 22 in the third one-dayer against Sri Lanka in 1997, was also handed a five-year ban by BCCI in the 2000 match-fixing scandal. Like Azhar, he too got the ban overturned. Jadeja was the mentor of the Afghanistan side that put up a highly impressive performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Nayan Mongia was the keeper-batter when India last lost a bilateral ODI series to Sri Lanka. After running out of favor with Indian selectors, he retired in 2004. Mongia keeps sharing his views on the game as an expert and former cricketer.
Bowlers: Rajesh Chauhan, Abey Kuruvilla, Nilesh Kulkarni, Venkatesh Prasad
A former India off-spinner, Rajesh Chauhan last played for India in 1998. He was in the news when it was reported that he suffered a heart attack in July 2014. Not much is known about what he is doing these days.
Abey Kuruvilla is a former India pacer who played 10 Tests and 25 ODIs in 1997. He is a former national selector. In 2022, he was appointed as BCCI's General Manager. Kuruvilla is often credited for the selection of Pravin Tambe in Rajasthan Royals' IPL team.
A former India left-arm spinner, Nilesh Kulkarni played three Tests and 10 ODIs between 1997 and 2001. A stalwart of Mumbai cricket, he is the Founder and Director of the International Institute of Sports Management (IISM), a sports management institute in Mumbai.
Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who went wicketless in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in 1997, retired from all forms in May 2005. Post-retirement, he served as the bowling coach of the Indian team before being sacked. He has also coached Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL.
