IND vs SL Stunning Upset! Sri Lanka Topples India in Unbelievable Series Victory

On 7th August 2024, Sri Lanka created history by defeating India in an ODI series after 27 years. 

The recent IND vs SL ODI series saw the Men in Blue suffer from a shocking defeat at the hands of a young Sri Lankan side. 

Sri Lanka won the series against India 2-0 as the first match of the series was drawn. 

The hosts’ spin bowling proved to be match winning for them. The Indian team couldn’t handle spin bowling and collapsed. 

In the India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI, the hosts won the toss and chose to bat first. They posted a total of 240, but in return, the Indian batsmen were all out for 208. SL won the match by 32 runs.

With one match tied and the second won by Sri Lanka, it was more crucial than ever for India to win the last match to avoid a series loss.

Despite having so many talented and experienced players in their side, India collapsed in the third and final ODI match. 

In response to Sri Lanka’s target of 249, the mighty Indian batting lineup slumped for a meager 138.

Rohit Sharma gave a solid start with a 20-ball 35 before he became the first scalp of Dunith Wellalage. The young spinner also removed Virat Kohli, who scored 20 off 18, to reduce India to 71-4.

The hosts won the match by 110 runs and the IND vs SL series 2-0. This was Sri Lanka’s first ODI series win against India since 1997. 

A poor 2023 ODI World Cup performance and failing to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Sri Lanka winning this series against India would surely be a great morale booster for their team and management. 

Moving forward, Sri Lanka can be considered a strong opponent by other cricket teams. 

On the other hand, India has a lot to learn from their mistakes. 

“There are a lot of areas we need to look at rather than the positives. These things happen, series loss is not the end of the world, you will lose an odd series here and there but it is about how you come back after the loss," said Rohit in the post-match presentation.

Rohit Sharma was the sole batter that performed exceptionally well throughout this series. He smashed two fifties and was the leading run-scorer in this India vs Sri Lanka series.

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