Nissanka, Wellalage fifties help Sri Lanka score 230/8 against India in 1st ODI
Colombo, Aug 2: Sri Lankan top-order crumbled against accurate Indian bowlers but intelligent fifties by Pathum Nissanka and Dunith Wellalage carried them to a fighting 230 for eight in the first ODI here on Friday.
Nissanka (56, 75b, 9x4) was a picture of concentration and Wellalage (67 not out, 65b, 7x4, 2x6) of confidence on a pitch that offered some turn after Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka opted to bat first, but several of their colleagues were unwilling to mimic them.
Lanka had a shaky start to their innings when Mohammed Siraj ousted Avishka Fernando but Nissanka and Kusal Mendis (14) added 39 runs for a steady second wicket as the hosts staged a mini-recovery.
Just as it happened in the preceding T20I series, the Islanders showed the propensity to throw their wickets away from that point.
This is not to undermine the excellent effort put in by the Indian bowlers, who elicited several false shots from the Lankan batters.
Mendis fell leg before to Shivam Dube, who made his return to one-day cricket after a hiatus of five years with that scalp.
From a relatively comfortable 46 for two, the Lankan innings soon crash-landed to 101 for five in the 27th over.
Sadeera Samarawickrama, Lanka’s best batter in ODIs for a while now, was never really able to read the spinners during his painful eight off 18 balls.
His dismissal underlined that point. The right-hander looked to push left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2/33) on the front foot but was too early into his shot, eventually chipping the ball to Shubman Gill at short cover.
Asalanka helped Nissanka to raise 31 runs for the fourth wicket but Kuldeep Yadav’s stock ball did him in. The left-hander guided the ball that spun away from him to his counterpart Rohit Sharma at first slip.
Amidst the constant turbulence at the other end, Nissanka stood like a rock and played a few delectable shots like a well-connected loft off Kuldeep Yadav to long-off for a boundary.
But Washington Sundar, who bowled his off-spin beautifully without much luck, finally managed to enter the wicket-takers’ list and he caught the big fish too.
A delivery that spun in from the off-stump trapped Nissanka in front of the wicket to reduce Lanka to 101 for five.
Wellalage and Janith Liyanage (20) added 41 runs off 43 balls for the sixth wicket to show some positive intent despite often failing to pick the Indian spinners.
Rohit’s inexplicable call to give an over to Gill for his dibbly-dobbly spin too added to the pair’s growing comfort, as Liyanage pulled a short-pitched ball for a six.
But a perplexing decision by Liyanage to walk off without taking the DRS ended the alliance.
The right-hander stepped out to whack Axar but the sharply-turned ball ended in the hands of Rohit at first slip.
There was a massive appeal from the Indians, and Liyanage trudged off the field, forcing the on-field umpire to raise his finger. It was clear from the replays that the ball did not take any edge off the bat.
From there, Wellalage and Wanindu Hasaranga (24, 35b, 1x4, 2x6) batted with purpose that some of their top-order comrades lacked, milking 36 runs for the seventh wicket.
Wellalage was quite impressive after his initial struggles against Kuldeep. The crunchy backfoot punch through the covers for four off Washington and a few other ramps and scoops testified the youngster’s potential.
The left-hander, who added another 46 with Akila Dhananjaya for the eighth wicket, brought up his maiden ODI fifty in 59 balls, also assisting his side to go past the 200-run mark that once appeared far away.
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Constitution powerful tool to protect poorest section of society: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday urged citizens to protect the ethos of the Constitution and said the struggle to defend India's inherent philosophy must be reinvigorated and reignited in the 75th year of its adoption.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Constitution is a powerful tool to protect the poorest and weakest sections of society, and the stronger it is, the stronger the country will be.
In a swipe at the BJP, the opposition party also asserted that at a time when those out to destroy the Constitution are showing insincere commitment towards it, "our duty to protect it and fight for its true values becomes all the more relevant".
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the people of India should come together to protect each and every thought expressed in the Constitution.
"The 75th year of the adoption of the Constitution has begun today. I extend my warmest wishes to all Indians on this historic occasion," the Congress president said in a post on X.
"The Constitution of India, painstakingly and carefully drafted by our foremothers and forefathers is the lifeblood of our nation. It guarantees us social, economic and political rights. It constitutes India into a sovereign socialist democratic republic," he said.
Justice, liberty, equality and fraternity are not just ideals or ideas, they are the way of life for 140 crore Indians, Kharge asserted.
"Today, we recall the tremendous contribution of the Constituent Assembly and its prolific members. We are forever indebted to their vision and wisdom," he said.
Kharge said Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr Rajendra Prasad, KM Munshi, Sarojini Naidu, Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and several eminent personalities were not just revered national icons but inspiring personalities who became the torchbearers of hope for generations together.
No mention of the Constituent Assembly should be complete without recalling the contribution of the 15 women members who provided equally important inputs for an inclusive India, the Congress president said.
"We must also not forget that the Constituent Assembly received uncountable suggestions from ordinary citizens which are a matter of record," he said.
The Objectives Resolution moved by Nehru and Ambedkar's momentous last speech to the Constituent Assembly form the Magna Carta in protecting the tenets of the Constitution, he said.
"We, the patriotic citizens of India, now have the onerous task of protecting the ethos of the Constitution," Kharge said.
"We, the people of India, should, therefore, come together to protect each and every thought expressed in the Constitution," he said.
In the 75th year of the Constitution's adoption, the struggle to defend India's inherent philosophy must be reinvigorated and reignited, just like the era of the national movement, the Congress president said.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, "Heartiest greetings to all of you on Constitution Day. The basic spirit of our Constitution is that justice and rights should be equal for all. Everyone should get an opportunity to live with self-respect."
"The Constitution is a powerful tool to protect the poorest and weakest sections of society. The stronger it is, the stronger our country will be," he said.
"On this day, I salute the fighters, martyrs and every member of the Constituent Assembly who protected the idea of the Constitution and reiterate my resolve to protect it," Gandhi said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that freedom fighters and great people together created a Constitution that ensured freedom, equality, fraternity and justice for crores of Indians.
"Our Constitution is the protective shield of crores of Indians which gives them every kind of rights. Happy Constitution Day to all the people of the country," she said.
"Salute to the great ancestors, martyrs, revolutionaries and every member of the Constituent Assembly. This democracy and Constitution, obtained from their tireless hard work and sacrifices, is our pride. Come, let us pledge that we will protect it in every situation," Priyanka Gandhi said in her post in Hindi on X.
Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said India marks an important landmark as it celebrates the 75th Constitution Day today, a day when Ambedkar's revolutionary text was adopted by the Constituent Assembly.
The Constitution of India is not merely a document, it is India's soul and history of millennia in motion, he said in a post on X.
"A living document that gives hope to 140 crore Indians, the Constitution is what keeps the ideals of justice, equality, inclusivity and democracy alive in India," Venugopal said.
"At a time when those out to destroy the Constitution are showing insincere commitment towards it, our duty to protect it and fight for its true values becomes all the more relevant," Venugopal said.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh recalled two books on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly.
Many books have been, and continue to be written on the making of the Constitution. But two have become evergreen classics, he said.
"Granville Austin's scholarly 'The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation' first appeared in 1966. He had got unprecedented access to the private collections of a number of key personalities, especially Dr. Rajendra Prasad and K.M. Munshi. He had also interviewed many members of the Constituent Assembly," Ramesh said.
B Shiva Rao's magisterial four-volume "The Framing of the Indian Constitution" was published in 1968, he noted. It has a very poignant letter from Nehru to Shiva Rao on writing a foreword sent just three days before the then prime minister passed away, Ramesh recalled.
Incidentally, Shiva Rao's almost now-forgotten brother Benegal Narsing Rau was a pivotal player in the making of the Constitution, he said.
