India beat Sri Lanka by 238 runs in Bengaluru to complete the series sweep. A lot of fans expected it to be an easy move for Rohit Sharma and his men as they had Sri Lanka on the mat on day 2. But the visitors were unwilling to leave the field without a fight. Captain Dimuth Karunaratne (107 off 174 balls) found good support from Kusal Mendis and shared a 97-run stand for the second wicket.
In such a crisis, it was India’s premier spinner Ravi Ashwin who came to the rescue. He shared six wickets between each other with his good friend Axar Patel and turned the tide in India’s favour.
“I’m not thinking about what I need to achieve in a game. It’s become more about how I build up in a series. The pink ball was a bit of a challenge in this game as we move away from the red ball game. Coming in and the ball behaves differently, so every time we get into a spell it takes a few overs. It’s about being there in the moment, getting into the spell and getting into the rhythm. Enjoyed it. It’s a combination of a lot of things and it’s an internal battle to try and understand the rhythm and pace I want to bowl,” he said in the post-match presentation.
He also praised Karunaratne for scoring a brilliant century on the turning track. He also compared it to the Pink Ball Test against England in Ahmedabad last year. “I thought that the Ahmedabad pitch was very fast and had more bounce than this. Whenever the batsmen were beaten it was by a big margin. I thought Dimuth batted beautifully, whenever he used his legs, it was difficult trying to pull him back. ,
Meanwhile, Axar Patel, who has spent a lot of time with Ashwin at Delhi Capitals, revealed that he will miss Ashwin in the dressing room. He clarified that the two will not reveal anything about each other as they have now become rivals in IPL 2022. Akshar will play for Delhi Capitals, while Ashwin will play for Rajasthan Royals.
“I want to wish him (Ashwin) all the best. We were tied in Delhi Capitals and I will miss him but anything can happen in the auction. ,
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