The chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav reveals that the two wickets in one of his overs changed the complexion of the match as India thumped Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the decisive third and final One-Day International (ODI) to clinch the series 2-1 here on Sunday.
Indian bowlers did a commendable job in the Vizag ODI as they bundled out Sri Lanka to 215 runs. At one of their innings, Sri Lanka was cruising at 160/2 in 27 overs. But in the very next over, Kuldeep removed Upul Tharanga (95) and Niroshan Dickwella (8) to damage the visitors.
Kuldeep’s spin partner Yuzvendra Chahal also played a crucial role, taking 3/46. Talking about the match, he said, “Obviously their batsmen were set and we knew we needed wickets in the middle overs. I got two wickets in one over and that really changed the momentum for us. The wicket was very good for spinners, we were getting the turn and sharp turn as well and that really motivated me to do well.”
Kuldeep became a part of the playing XI by replacing the all-rounder Washington Sundar, who fell sick. Speaking of the same he said, “I worked on my lengths as well. It’s just preparation that matters. Whenever you don’t play you practice and work hard on your fitness and fielding, when you get a chance you try and put up your best performance.”
India’s stand-in skipper also praised his bowlers, he said, “When you have bowlers like that in your side, the job becomes very easy for the captain. You throw the ball and they get you wickets all the time. Whenever we were put into the tough situations, we responded well. We played as a team more than anything else. Everyone knew what they needed to do as an individual to win the series and they perfectly did that.”
Rohit, who was named the skipper for the ODIs and the T20Is against Sri Lanka, said his team played a perfect game, taking pressure off the skipper. After the men in blue getting bunded out for 112 in first ODI, while in the second ODI, Rohit led from the front with his third double century as India recorded a huge win.
When asked about the comeback, Sharma said, “I am very proud of the boys. I think the first game was a bit testing as a captain, because we didn’t put enough runs on the board, and in the second game since we had a lot of runs I had the luxury to try out a few things. It was a perfect game for me to settle in. And today was a perfect game.”
