India’s ongoing struggle against spin was evident once more as leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay took six wickets, leading Sri Lanka to a 32-run victory in the second ODI in Colombo on Sunday.
India’s assistant coach, Abhishek Nayar, addressed the unexpected defeat, attributing it to the spin-friendly conditions that significantly influenced the match’s outcome. “Was it a shock? I would say yes,” Nayar said at the post-match press conference. He acknowledged that the conditions allowed for a drastic change in the game due to the amount of spin available.
Chasing 241, India was bowled out for 208 in 42.2 overs on a pitch that heavily favored spinners. In the previous match, Indian batsmen, except for skipper Rohit Sharma, had also struggled.
Nayar noted that scoring against the new ball was relatively easy, but as the ball aged, batting conditions became more challenging, especially in the 50-over format. The think-tank plans to analyze and rectify the recurring issues that have led to back-to-back defeats.
“We want to go back and understand, and rectify, why it happened twice in a row. The day before yesterday, we were able to stitch partnerships, but today we lost quite a few wickets in a bundle,” Nayar explained.
India made changes to their middle order, promoting Shivam Dube (0) to the number four spot, while keeping a right-left batting combination with Shreyas Iyer (7) and KL Rahul (0) at numbers six and seven, respectively.
Nayar defended the decision, stating, “My belief is that in any sport, position only matters if you’re playing in different areas of a game. We lost wickets in the middle phase, and that’s where the middle-order batters batted. It’s not as if middle-order batters batted towards the end. The thought process was right. When it doesn’t work out, these questions are asked often. But I’ve always believed that if a middle-order batter bats as a middle-order batter, it is the right decision.”
Nayar also highlighted the increased pressure on the team batting second. “When you are batting first, there is less pressure. When you are chasing, the pressure is more because you have to keep an eye on the run rate and wickets.”
He praised Sri Lanka’s Wellalage for his crucial lower-order contributions in both games, emphasizing the importance of partnerships when batting first.
