Following a 110-run defeat in the third ODI, resulting in their first series loss to Sri Lanka in 27 years, India captain Rohit Sharma expressed concern over his team’s struggles against spin bowling. He urged Indian batters to take a serious look at their individual game plans against spin, emphasizing the need to address their weaknesses.
“I don’t think it’s a concern, but it’s something we need to look at seriously — our individual game plans — and it’s something (that) we were definitely put under pressure within this series,” Rohit told the broadcaster when asked about India’s struggles against spin.
While acknowledging the series loss was not a “world-ending event,” Rohit highlighted the need to address the issues that contributed to the defeat. “Series loss doesn’t mean the end of the world. These guys have been playing very well over the past few years; very consistent. You will lose the odd series,” he said, adding, “We lost the series and I feel there are a lot of areas we need to look at rather than the positives. We need to go back and look at what we need to do when we come up against conditions like this.”
He refuted any suggestions of complacency within the team, considering their recent success in the T20 World Cup. “No, it’s a joke. When you’re playing for India, there’s no complacency,” Rohit asserted. However, he acknowledged that India had not played well enough in the series, highlighting the need for improvement.
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka expressed his satisfaction after leading his team to a series win over India. “I’m a happy captain right now and I think the team did all the things well throughout the series,” he said. He credited his team’s spin bowling prowess as a key factor in their success. “We all knew they were a very strong batting line-up and we just wanted to back our strength, which is spin bowling,” Asalanka added.
