It couldn’t have been any more sensational a return to international cricket for Rohit Sharma on Friday as India took the field against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of their three-match series at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The Rohit innings got off with a bang as he launched a spectacular six off his very first delivery.
The manner in which he came down the track and dispatched the ball over the boundary not only set the tone for the rest of the innings but also signaled his aggressive intentions to the opposition and his die-hard fans.
Hitman goes 💥 right from the go!
A massive six by Rohit to get India off to a flying start 🇮🇳
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Earlier in the game, Sri Lanka had made 230/8, and Dunith Wellalage played a vital role by getting an unbeaten 67 off 65 balls, which propelled them to a fighting total. Pathum Nissanka gave fine support with a well-conceived 56 off 75 balls. Despite these knocks, the rest of the Sri Lankan batsmen did not last long and were sent back in the pavilion, hence making the team dependent on their lower order.
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Already into the run chase, India is off to a decent start; the scoreboard is at 21/0 after 2.5 overs. Rohit Sharma is just batting with confident form at 14* off 9 balls. Shubman Gill has not lost his wicket yet as he stands at the other end, on 6 off 8 balls. What’s more, with such a strong lineup and depth in batting still to come, it does seem like India is on the right course to win this opening ODI.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj.
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Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando and Mohamed Shiraz.
