Rohit Sharma’s Reflections on India’s ODI Series Loss

On the contrary, the Indian spinners picked only 17 wickets across three games, 10 fewer than their counterparts. While it had to do as much with how the host bowlers were able to exploit the familiar conditions, it also had to do a fair bit with how the Sri Lankan batters countered a similar challenge.

Highlighting how differently the opposition approached their batting, Rohit said, “They were consistent with sweeps, taking their chances. Not a lot of runs were scored down the ground. They didn’t use the feet as much as we expected. It was about using sweeps and piercing that deep square leg and midwicket field. That is something we failed to do as a batting unit. We didn’t play enough sweeps, reverse sweeps or paddle and use our feet too much. That was the difference.

“(Kusal) Mendis and (Avishka) Fernando, they got a lot of runs square off the wicket. They were using the turn, going down the track and sweeping making the fielder move left and right. They were smart with how they batted and we were not.”

Rohit’s first ODI assignment following India’s run to the World Cup final last year has ended on a winless note, handing Sri Lanka their first series win in 27 years against India in the 50-over format. A series where they would’ve looked to find a few answers has ended with them being left with more questions instead. Even as India are unlikely to play limited-overs cricket in similar conditions any time in the near future, with only three ODIs scheduled hereafter, there is still ample need to find a few fixes.