India were unable to go past Sri Lanka‘s 231-run target in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on August 2. Despite matching the home team’s total on a tricky pitch, India’s hope were dashed when Arshdeep Singh was dismissed for a golden duck attempting a big shot in the 48th over.

With 10 tied games in the ODI format, India have surpassed Australia (9) and now sits in second place on the all-time list, trailing only the West Indies (11).

Most tied matches in ODI cricket:

West Indies: 11

India: 10

Australia: 9

England: 9

Pakistan: 9

Zimbabwe: 8

Electing to bat first, Sri Lanka struggled to reach 230 after nearly being bowled out for under 200. Opener Pathum Nissanka top-scored with 56, but the middle order failed to make significant contributions. It was Dunith Wellalage’s unbeaten 67 that ultimately bailed out the hosts and allowed them to post a decent total.

Despite a half-century from Rohit Sharma, India found themselves in serious trouble during the run-chase, slipping from 80/1 to 189/6. A 57-run partnership between KL Rahul and Axar Patel helped stabilize the innings, but the visitors were still not out of the woods.

“The target was within reach, but we lacked consistency. Our batting had moments of success, but lacked the necessary momentum. We had the advantage at times, but lost a couple of crucial wickets. The KL-Axar partnership helped us make a comeback. However, the final result was somewhat disappointing. Sri Lanka were great, and the final result accurately reflected the match,” Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation.

“The pitch conditions remained unchanged throughout, not allowing us to bat freely and we had to grind it out. We should have managed to get that one run,” he added.

Dunith Wellalage was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance, which included a valuable contribution with the bat in the first innings and two crucial wickets in the second.