Fifties by Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis propelled Sri Lanka to 248/7, the highest total of this series, in the third and final ODI of the series against India at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on Wednesday. For India, debutant Riyan Parag was the pick of bowlers with 3-54 in nine overs.
Electing to bat first on a dry pitch, captain Charith Asalanka had wished to see a century coming from any of his batters. Avishka almost fulfilled that wish by making a fluent 96 off 102 balls, laced with nine fours and two sixes. But he fell four runs short of a century to become the first ODI wicket of an impressive Riyan.
With Riyan picking two more wickets by mixing his off-break and leg-break deliveries well, India clawed back to reduce Sri Lanka to 199/6 in 43.3 overs. But Mendis stepped up by hitting four boundaries in his 82-ball 53 at the fag end of the innings, as Sri Lanka hit 31 runs in the last three overs, an aspect which could be a game-defining one, considering spinners have got a lot of assistance –- mainly turn — in the second innings.
The in-form Pathum Nissanka was dazzling from the word go, taking advantage of friendly balls from Mohammed Siraj to get four boundaries in the first three overs. Fernando joined in the merry act by taking two fours off him, and one against part-time pacer Shivam Dube. Nissanka continued to impress by slog-sweeping Axar Patel for two sixes and a four, followed by Fernando glancing and sweeping off Kuldeep Yadav to get his boundaries.
But Axar broke the 89-run opening stand as Nissanka went for the slog-sweep again, but this time gave a top edge to the keeper. Fernando reached his fifty by steering Axar for four and welcomed Siraj by edging him for four, before pulling him twice for sixes. Two more boundaries got him into the 90s, but a century eluded him as he was trapped lbw by a leg-break from Riyan Parag, leaving Fernando distraught.
From there, Sri Lanka suffered a wobble as Riyan got a ball to straighten in and trap Asalanka lbw, followed by Siraj trapping Sadeera Samawickrama lbw with a yorker. Janith Liyanage inside-edged onto his stumps off Washington Sundar, while Riyan got a flighted delivery to straighten in and hit Dunith Wellalage’s top of off-stump. Mendis slammed a couple of boundaries in the fag end to get his fifty and take Sri Lanka to a competitive total, with the hope that their spinners will do enough to keep India away from chasing it down.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 248/7 in 50 overs (Avishka Fernando 96, Kusal Mendis 59; Riyan Parag 3-54, Washington Sundar 1-29) against India