India vs Sri Lanka series: A tough and confounding assignment for both nations

The India vs Sri Lanka limited-overs series proved to be tough for both nations, with both not putting up a 'A' grade performance.

India and Sri Lanka won the ODI and T20I series respectively. (Image credit: BCCI Twitter)
By Siddharth vishwanathan | Jul 30, 2021 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

In the broader scheme of things, one will struggle to make sense of the India vs Sri Lanka series. Did Sri Lanka lose to a ‘B’ grade India team as mentioned by Arjuna Ranatunga? Has Sri Lanka actually beaten India in a bilateral T20I series for the first time? But, how can a win be considered great if it was against a ‘B’ team? It is pretty much sure that Arjuna Ranatunga would never have faced this situation even in his cricket or political career. The Sri Lankan and Indian fans celebrated on social media.

India had just gotten out of jail in the ODI series. In the first ODI, they had dominated. But, in the second match, they only managed to secure a win for the composed batting of Deepak Chahar and the solidity of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. When one looks at Sri Lanka’s performance in the third ODI, the series could have easily gone Sri Lanka’s way had they held their chances in the second ODI.

The confusion of India vs Sri Lanka series

The India vs Sri Lanka series was touted as the test of bench strength for both sides. The Indian bench strength was been hailed as one of the best heading into the series. The bench strength had given India a famous win in Australia. But, India seemed to have lost the momentum when they made six changes in the ODI side.

There are two sides to the coin when one makes plenty of changes. Both are maybe not wrong or right. The need to rotate players and make them fresh IS a priority. But, it also robs the team of momentum. Continuous chopping and changing means that a core is not finalized. Giving a match to everyone can sometimes backfire. It did backfire in this instance against Sri Lanka.

A rotation policy works if the player has not had a rest for close to two-three months. If the series was a five-Test or seven ODI series, it would have made sense to rotate. But, in a three ODI and T20I series, a short series does not merit a change in personnel on such a big scale.

What are the takeaways for India in this series?

The major talking point for this series was to test the bench strength of the India cricket team. They all got a chance, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic entering into the Indian team. Krunal Pandya’s positive COVID-19 result meant that everybody on the team got the chance. India played the final two T20Is with just four batsmen. In this case in point, it would have been easy for India to pack and go home. The rest of the series could have been canceled. But, India had a commitment and they decided to play the series on. With very less players at their disposal, the fact that they got a playing 11 for the last two games was a miraculous act.

The youngsters, in particular, Nitish Rana, Devdutt Padikkal, and Ruturaj Gaikwad still have to get their bearings right in international cricket. Rana and Sanju Samson have been vehemently criticized for their lack of contributions. Rana, in particular, has endured a torrid time in the IPL while Samson just cannot seem to contribute when given the chance. Rahul Dravid, the coach, said in the post-series presser that the young batsmen needed to step up.

Takeaways for Sri Lanka

What can one make of Sri Lanka? They could only manage to beat an India team that were severely low on resources. Sure, it was their first win against India in a T20I series. You win against every opponent that you play in whatever condition. But, there are still problems galore.

When India even served up their second-string side, they lost the ODIs and the one Twenty20 International. It was only when India took them lightly and made wholesome changes, one forced, they managed to get the confidence back. The series is being played when three players are on the cusp of getting a big ban from international cricket. It has now emerged that Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella reportedly lied to the Sri Lankan authorities about the breach.

All this is going against them and there are speculations that due to past incidents, they might get a lengthy ban of over one year. The core of the Sri Lanka side will more or less remain the same heading into the ICC World T20. In the end, India and Sri Lanka shared the series. But, they also shared the problems. Remember, before the series, the Sri Lanka team also saw positive cases that saw the series pushed back. India and Sri Lanka shared many things in this tour, but a winning feeling might have been absent.





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