The Indian cricket team faced a stunning and historic defeat on Sri Lankan soil, marking their first series loss there in 27 years. The Rohit Sharma-led side was completely outplayed in the third and final ODI, where they were bowled out for just 138 runs while chasing a modest target of 249. This loss was particularly shocking as it came during the first assignment of new head coach Gautam Gambhir, who was unable to secure a single win in the ODI format during this tour.
Former Pakistan cricket star Tanvir Ahmed took to social media to mock the Indian team and their new coach. In a sarcastic post on X (formerly known as Twitter), he said, “India team ka ODI series harney ka gift Gautham ghambir” (A gift for Gautam Gambhir from the India team that they lost the ODI series).
India team ka ODI series harney ka gift Gautham ghambir
— Tanveer Says (@ImTanveerA) August 7, 2024
Tanvir further rubbed salt into the wounds by sharing a picture of Sri Lanka’s interim head coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, and captain Charith Asalanka celebrating the series victory, with the caption, “Next time India walon ko bolain gay achi team ley kar ana” (Next time we will ask India to bring a better team).
Next time india walon ko bolain gay achi team ley kar Ana🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/wFUUfa6TFn
— Tanveer Says (@ImTanveerA) August 7, 2024
After the disappointing series loss, Indian captain Rohit Sharma addressed the media, expressing his thoughts on the team’s performance. Rohit, who was India’s standout performer with the bat, scoring 157 runs in the series at an impressive strike rate of 141.44, explained his approach during the Power-play overs.
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Despite his efforts, the rest of the Indian batting lineup failed to handle the Sri Lankan spinners, leading to their downfall. Rohit emphasized the importance of scoring quickly during the Power-play, noting that the conditions would become more challenging as the game progressed, with the pitch slowing down and the ball starting to turn.
“I knew that the runs scored during the Power-play would be critical,” Rohit said. “The wicket would get a little slow after that, the ball would turn a bit, and even the field would be spread out. When there are only two fielders outside the ring, we had to take our chances.”
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He explained that his intention was never to throw away his wicket after the Power-play but to maintain the momentum and keep the pressure on the opposition. “I took those chances whenever I felt that I could put the bowler under pressure,” Rohit added. “All the runs that you score over and above that benefit the team for the remaining 40 overs. My personal effort was to ensure that I scored as many runs as I could.”
