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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Maharashtra class 12 chemistry paper circulated on social media before exam, leak suspected
Nagpur (PTI): Police are investigating a suspected leak after the class 12 Chemistry question paper was allegedly circulated on social media in Nagpur ahead of the exam being conducted by the Maharashtra board, officials said on Saturday.
The exam malpractice came to light on Wednesday at a high school examination centre after a female student’s frequent visits to the washroom raised suspicion.
Invigilators seized the student's smartphone. Its analysis showed that the question paper had been shared on a WhatsApp group before the exam began, officials said, adding that possible answers were also exchanged in the same group.
Based on the student's statement, another pupil is being questioned.
The preliminary investigation suggests a person linked to a private coaching shared the question paper for money, officials said.
A case was registered at Sadar police station, and an investigation was launched.
