The Charith Asalanka-led Sri Lanka National Cricket Team locked horns with the Rohit Sharma-led India National Cricket Team in the third and final ODI of the series on Wednesday, August 7, at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Heading into the third match, the Lankan Lions had a 1-0 lead in the series, thanks to the magical performances delivered by the home team in the first two games.

In the first ODI, Charith Asalanka's team pulled off a tie from the jaws of the defeat. They had scored 230 for 8 in their 50 overs and it was considered a good total considering the conditions around.

However, they were pushed on the backfoot when Rohit Sharma launched an attack, but the Sri Lankan bowlers picked up wickets at regular intervals, including 2 back-to-back wickets when India needed just 1 run with 2 wickets in hand and over 2 overs. This led to the visitors getting bowled out for 230 and the match got tied.

In the second ODI, a slightly better batting performance saw Sri Lanka ending up with 240 for 9 in their 50 overs. With the ball, a similar script to the first ODI was followed as Rohit Sharma played aggressively. However, Jeffrey Vandersay-led Sri Lankan bowling unit did an excellent job and bowled out India for 208 to win by 32 runs.

I am a happy captain right now - Charith Asalanka 

Coming back to the third ODI, the Sri Lankan team delivered a terrific performance and dominantly won the match by 110 runs to clinch the series 2-0. This marked the first ODI series victory of Sri Lanka against India since 1997.

Batting first, Avishka Fernando (96), Pathum Nissanka (45), and Kusal Mendis (59) looked exceptional, and they troubled the Indian bowling unit with his great batting. Despite the lower order not contributing significantly, they posted 248/7 on the board.

Defending the total, Sri Lanka bowlers once again looked threatening, and youngster Dunith Wellalage took a 5-wicket haul, including the top wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Axar Patel to bowl India out for 138 runs.

Speaking after the match, Charith Asalanka said that he was extremely delighted after the historic series win over the India National Cricket Team at home. Charith Asalanka added that they were fully aware of the fact that the Indian team has a strong batting line-up and they planned to counter it with their spin-bowling.

Charith Asalanka further said that the mood in the Sri Lankan camp is good and coach Sanath Jayasuriya is delighted. Charith Asalanka elaborated:

"I am a happy captain right now. The team did all things right throughout the series. We all knew they are a strong batting line up and we wanted to back our strength, spin was our strength and we backed it. 

"They are in a good mood right now and our coach (Sanath Jayasuriya) is very active. The boys really enjoyed the team environment."

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— Cricket Addictor (@AddictorCricket) August 7, 2024