3 Things India Need To Improve To Level ODI Series Vs Sri Lanka

India lost the second ODI by 32 runs Vs SL [PTI] India lost the second ODI by 32 runs Vs SL [PTI]

In a shocking turn of events, Team India lost the second ODI against Sri Lanka by 32 runs. Just like the first game, the batting order crumbled under pressure, and gave away an easy victory to the home team.

Barring Rohit Sharma, the other batters failed to deliver as the visitors couldn't chase 241, and were bundled out for just 208. It was the mystery spinner, Jeffrey Vandersay, who tormented the Indian bowlers by picking up a 6-wicket haul.

Sri Lanka lead the series 1-0, and India can now only level it, with a victory in the last match, scheduled on Wednesday. Here at OneCricket, we analyse 3 key things that India need to improve to level the series.


Play spin well

The Sri Lankan spinners have become a mystery for the Indian batters. They simply cannot read them, and as a result, things have not gone their way in the ODIs.

In the first ODI, the spinners took 9 out of the 10 Indian wickets. In the second match, Vandersay ran riot and scalped 6-wickets to steal the win from the jaws of defeat. The equation is simple - India need to work on their spin game to beat Sri Lanka in third ODI.

Middle-order woes need to be sorted

Barring Rohit Sharma, none of the batters have gone onto make runs in the series. While the Indian skipper has scored back-to-back fifties, the others have simply not delivered. This includes Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul. The fear of spin has taken over them.

The others need to learn from Rohit, who has played with aggression, and maybe a similar approach needs to be used against the opposition spin bowlers.

Pick Wickets in the middle-overs

While the bowling from the Indian side has been exceptional at the top, the same cannot be said about the middle-overs. The likes of Mohammed Siraj, and Arshdeep Singh have churned out wickets at the top, but in both the matches, the Sri Lankan middle and lower-middle order has bailed them out of precarious situations.

In both the matches, Sri Lanka should have been bundled out under 200, but the Indian bowlers allowed them to run away with the contest.