Rohit Sharma Reflects on India’s Tense Draw Against Sri Lanka in First ODI
India’s captain Rohit Sharma believes the 231-run target set by Sri Lanka in the first ODI was achievable. Despite a strong start by Rohit, who scored 58 runs, India faced a challenging chase and lost wickets towards the end, resulting in a draw.
After restricting Sri Lanka to 230/8, India had a topsy-turvy chase. Rohit provided an explosive start with 58 runs in 47 balls, including seven fours and three sixes. However, the chase became difficult as India lost wickets towards the end.
Following Shreyas Iyer’s dismissal, Sri Lanka gained the upper hand, reducing India to 132-5 in 24.2 overs. Axar Patel (33) and KL Rahul (31) brought India back into the game with a 57-run partnership. Shivam Dube almost took India to victory, but Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka’s crucial wicket of Dube ended the game in a draw.
Rohit Sharma commented, “The score was gettable. You have to bat well to get there. We batted well in patches. No consistent momentum. We had the upper hand. We lost a couple of wickets.” He added, “With the KL-Axar partnership, we came back. Little disappointing at the end. These things happened. Sri Lanka played well. In the end, it was a fair result. It (pitch) remained the same. It’s not where you can come and play your shots. You have to dig in. The game shifted towards both teams at different times. We should have got that one run.”
India and Sri Lanka will return to action in the second ODI on Sunday at the same venue.
Doubts Revealed
Rohit Sharma -: Rohit Sharma is a famous Indian cricketer and the captain of the Indian cricket team. He is known for his excellent batting skills.
ODI -: ODI stands for One Day International. It is a type of cricket match that lasts for one day, with each team playing a fixed number of overs, usually 50.
231-run target -: In cricket, a target is the number of runs a team needs to score to win. Here, Sri Lanka set a target of 231 runs for India to chase.
Axar Patel -: Axar Patel is an Indian cricketer known for his all-round abilities, meaning he can both bat and bowl well.
KL Rahul -: KL Rahul is another Indian cricketer who is known for his batting and sometimes keeps wickets (catches the ball behind the batsman).
Charith Asalanka -: Charith Asalanka is a cricketer from Sri Lanka and the captain of their team in this match.
Shivam Dube -: Shivam Dube is an Indian cricketer who can both bat and bowl, known as an all-rounder.