 "Jeffrey Vandersay ran through the Indian batting as Sri Lanka won the second ODI against India. AP")
Abhishek Nayar, India’s assistant coach, expressed his surprise with the team losing wickets in a hurry to spin in the second ODI against Sri Lanka. But he said the unpredictable conditions contributed to an erratic game of cricket which saw hosts Sri Lanka win by 32 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The first ODI ended in a tie.
Nayar highlighted the impressive bowling of spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, along with Sri Lanka’s resilient lower-order batting, as key factors in India’s defeat.
For the second consecutive match, the pitch offered significant turn, allowing even less experienced spin bowlers to pose a threat.
“Was it a shock? I would say yes, there is a surprise,” Nayar said. “But you anticipate and understand that in these conditions the game can turn on its head because there is so much spin on offer.
“Even if you look at the last game, it was relatively easy to score against the new ball. As the ball got older, the conditions when batting second got slightly tougher. Sometimes in tough conditions, especially in the 50-over format, this happens.
“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.
The collapse occurred between the 14th and 24th overs, during which India lost six wickets – all to Vandersay – for just 50 runs. From the start, Vandersay effectively turned the ball, much like India’s spinners, but he also maintained accuracy with tight lines, keeping batters rooted with his lengths and flight.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“They bowled well - I think Vandersay bowled the ideal length in these conditions,” Nayar said. “In such conditions, when the ball is turning - and the way Vandersay bowled today, used his finger, and bowled stump to stump - you get these phases when there is assistance from the pitch. I feel today we should give more credit to Sri Lanka.”
In their innings, Sri Lanka found themselves at 136/6, appearing to be on track for a total below 200. However, for the second match running, Dunith Wellalage played a pivotal role, scoring 39 off 35 balls from No. 7.
Kamindu Mendis, an allrounder who typically bats higher in the order, contributed significantly with 40 off 44 balls at No. 8. Their efforts helped Sri Lanka reach a total of 240/9, which proved challenging to chase on this pitch.
“When you are batting first, there is less pressure,” Nayar said. “When you are chasing, the pressure is more because you have to keep an eye on the run rate, wickets. Whenever you bat first, you often have partnerships. Wellalage batted really well, both in the last game and this game. They scored important runs in the lower order.”
Discussing India’s decision to shuffle their batting order, with Shivam Dube moving up to No. 4, Shreyas Iyer dropping to No. 6, and KL Rahul settling at No. 7, Nayar didn’t see this as particularly unusual. He said the focus was on maintaining a left-right batting combination.
“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.
“If you look at numbers like four, five, or six, maybe sometimes it can play games in your head. It was more about keeping a left-and-right combination, keeping in mind that there were offspinners, and a legspinner in the Sri Lanka team.
“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.”