Former Indian pacer Ganesh Dodda questioned Arshdeep Singh’s shot selection after a tie in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Friday. With India needing only one run to win, Singh attempted a slog sweep on the first ball he faced against Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka but completely missed the ball to be trapped LBW in front of the stumps.
Asalanka had also plumbed Shivam Dube in front of the wickets when the left-hander was going strongly to take India over the line. However, the match ended in a tie and in the end, it was Sri Lanka, which was happier of the two teams.
Ganesh Dodda wrote on his Twitter, “You can’t expect run from the tail enders but a bit of game awareness is paramount for any cricketer. That shot from Arshdeep isn’t going to impress the coach Gambhir #SLvIND #DoddaMathu.”
Dodda also praised Sri Lankan bowlers for their impressive showing as they skittled out India at 230.
“And it’s a tie. Great application shown by Sri Lankan bowlers. This is a going to be a great moral booster for the underdogs #SLvIND,” Ganesh wrote on X.
On the other hand, Rohit Sharma shared his disappointment after India could not cross the line. Sharma admitted it was a gettable score but they lost wickets at a wrong time.
He said in the post-match presentation, “The scores are gettable, it’s just that you have to bat well to get that score. We batted well in patches. There was no consistent momentum through the game for us. We started really well with the bat but we knew the game will start after 10 overs once the spinners come in to bowl. We had the upper hand to start with, then we lost a couple of wickets and fell behind the game.”
“Proud of the way how we fought till the end. The game shifted towards both teams at different times. It was important to hold the nerve and stay in the game. We should have got that one run,” Rohit added.
The second ODI between India and Sri Lanka will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Sunday.
