Coming into the first of the three-match One Day International (ODI) series against the touring Indian team, the home side- Sri Lanka had already been struggling with the absence of their three premier pacers, Matheesha Pathirana, Dushmantha Chameera, and Dilshan Madushanka.
Sri Lanka did a fantastic job in the opening 50-over game of the series, where they tied the contest by defending a low total of 230/8 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The lion’s share of their bowling department was done by their spinners.
The Rohit Sharma-led side didn’t find it comfortable to score runs against the slow bowlers on a dry surface where the ball was gripping and holding a bit on the track.
Sri Lanka is to miss their leading spinner for the rest of the ODI series
In a fresh blow to their long list of injuries, the premier wrist spinner of the team- Wanindu Hasaranga has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against India due to an injury to his left hamstring. He returned with a decent figure of 3/58 in 10 overs in the first game.
Hasaranga experienced pain in his hamstring when he delivered the last ball of his spell, before the scans confirmed the injury later, on the following day, as the media release from Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed.
“He experienced pain in his left hamstring while delivering the last ball of his 10th over during the first ODI. An MRI was performed on the player, and following this, the injury was confirmed.” The SLC stated in a media release on August 3 (Saturday).
With this, the bowling line of the Charith Asalanka-led side will be struggling more going into the middle half of the series, as they will now have to defend the rest of the young bowlers to do the job against the aggressive Indian batting line-up.
Hasaranga has been part of 55 ODIs for the national side where he has picked up 87 wickets at an average of 25.88 and an economy of 5.12, with the best bowling figures of 7/19, with four five-wicket hauls and three four-wicket hauls. The star all-rounder has also notched up 919 runs at an average of nearly 23, with a strike rate of 110 and a best score of an unbeaten 80-run knock.
Dunith Wellalage did a great job in the first game of the series with both bat and ball. He cracked an undefeated knock of 67 runs in 65 balls, shouldering on seven boundaries and a couple of sixes, with a strike rate of over 100, besides finishing with figures of 2/39 in 10 overs, with a maiden.
In all likelihood, the off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana is expected to replace the Sri Lankan all-rounder for the last two 50-over games of the series. The 24-year-old has featured in 41 ODI innings to record 55 wickets at an average of almost 30, with a strike rate of 38.2, and an economy rate of 4.63, with a best of 4/25.
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In place of Wanindu, Sri Lanka has added leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay for the rest of the series. The 34-year-old has registered 27 wickets in 20 innings, with an average of 31.44 an economy rate of 5.54, and a best figure of 4/10. He doesn’t have a huge experience of in international cricket, but could be valuable looking at the recent conditions of Sri Lanka.
Both teams will look to open their account in the second game, which is set to take to take place on August 04, at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.