Dunith Wellalage consigns India to 110-run defeat with five-wicket haul, SL win ODI series 2-0
Colombo, Aug 7: The shockingly clueless Indian batting unit was strangled by crafty Sri Lankan spinners, led by five-wicket man Dunith Wellalage, as Rohit Sharma’s men crashed to an embarrassing 110-run defeat in the third and final ODI here on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka won the three-match series 2-0 after the first match ended in a tie, and this is the Islanders’ first bilateral ODI series victory over India since 1997.
Chasing a competitive 249 on a sharp turner at Premadasa, India were bowled out for a woeful 138 in 26.1 overs, and the new head coach Gautam Gambhir will have a few hard points to ponder early into his stint.
The left-arm spinner Wellalage, who hurt India with the bat till now, chose to bruise the visitors by ball taking five for 27 after opener Avishka Fernando made a well-paced 96 to carry Lanka to 248 for seven.
However, India had a rather good beginning, despite the early departure of Shubman Gill, to their chase, courtesy Rohit Sharma’s breakneck 35 off 20 balls that included an 18-run over off Maheesh Theekshana.
The runs cascaded through a sequence of 6, 4, 4, 4 in the fourth over of the innings.
But sweep, one of the favoured shots of Rohit, brought the downfall of the Indian skipper. His attempt to play it off Wellalage ended in the hands of Kusal Mendis behind the stumps.
Once Rohit walked back, the rest of the Indian batters submerged into a whirlpool of confusion.
Virat Kohli (20) played for turn when there was none and was adjudged leg before to Wellalage.
Rishabh Pant, who was playing his first ODI after his comeback from that horrific car crash, trotted down the track and was beaten in the air by Theekshana to eventually get stumped by Kusal.
Riyan Parag, who made his ODI debut while coming in place of Arshdeep Singh, offered no shot to a straight one from leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay to get bowled.
In between, Shreyas Iyer also fell leg before to Wellalage, taking the total number of lbw and clean bowled dismissals in this Indian innings to seven, and no other crumb of statistics will offer a clearer picture of the muddled Indian minds than that.
"We knew they are used to small grounds and good wickets in India. So they would struggle on a big Premadasa ground. We knew we could get an advantage with some turn on the wicket, and we have good spinners," Theekshana's post match TV comments with reference to tracks used during ODI World Cup, was like rubbing salt to the wound.
Before their spinners pushed Indian batters deep into trouble, Lanka managed to work through the Indian bowling through opener Avishka Fernando (96, 102 balls, 9x4, 2x6) and Kusal (59, 82b, 4x4).
India fought through an excellent spell of off-spin by Parag (3/54) but apart from Kuldeep Yadav (1/36) there was no real assistance for him.
Fernando’s knock handheld the home side during the most assured batting phase yet in this series, before Parag engineered a familiar mid-innings collapse on a pitch where the proportions of turn increased from mid-way of Sri Lankan innings.
But none of it could take away credit from the effort of Fernando, who stitched two fine partnerships – an 89 for the opening wicket with Pathum Nissanka (45, 65b, 5x4, 2x6) and 82 with Kusal for the second wicket.
Nissanka often matched his associate in aggression, evidenced by the two slog swept sixes off left-arm spinner Axar Patel.
But the blooming stand was cut short by Axar when Nissanka slammed a wide delivery into the hands of Pant.
Lanka stayed ahead of India through the Fernando-Kusal partnership, and the former was the enforcer.
Fernando spoiled the figures of Mohammed Siraj (1/65 in 8 overs), who was unusually wayward in his line and length.
In fact, the Lankan right-hander enjoyed the extra speed of Siraj that enabled him to unfurl his bread and butter pull shot twice in a row to muscle the Indian for sixes.
However, just when he was within touching distance of his fourth ODI hundred, Fernando missed a skiddy leg-break from Parag to get caught in front of the wicket.
At 171 for two in the 36th over, Lanka had an excellent platform to push towards a total in the vicinity of 280 or more.
But Parag removed skipper Charith Asalanka (10), who was trapped leg before, and Wellalage (2) that denied Lanka the late-order momentum.
But Kusal and Kamindu Mendis added 36 runs for the seventh wicket to take the match well beyond India’s reach.
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Deep societal faultlines persist despite 75 years of independence: Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Judge cites denial of home to Muslim girl, opposition to Dalit women cooking mid-day meals
Hyderabad, February 23, 2026: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has said that despite repeated affirmations of constitutional morality by courts, deep societal faultlines rooted in caste and religious discrimination continue to shape everyday realities in India.
Speaking at a seminar on “Constitutional Morality and the Role of District Judiciary” organised by the Telangana Judges Association and the Telangana State Judicial Academy in Hyderabad, Justice Bhuyan reflected on the gap between constitutional ideals and social practices.
He cited a recent instance involving his daughter’s friend, a PhD scholar at a private university in Noida, who was denied accommodation in South Delhi after her surname revealed her Muslim identity. According to Justice Bhuyan, the landlady bluntly informed her that no accommodation was available once her religious background became known.
In another example from Odisha, he referred to resistance by some parents to the government’s mid-day meal programme because the food was prepared by Dalit women employed as cooks. He noted that some parents had objected aggressively and refused to allow their children to consume meals cooked by members of the Scheduled Caste community.
Describing these incidents as “the tip of the iceberg,” Justice Bhuyan said they reveal how far society remains from the benchmark of constitutional morality even 75 years into the Republic. He observed that while the Constitution lays down standards of equality and dignity, the morality practised within homes and communities often diverges sharply from those values.
He emphasised that constitutional morality requires governance through the rule of law rather than the rule of popular opinion. Referring to the evolution of the doctrine through judicial decisions, he cited Naz Foundation v Union of India, in which the Delhi High Court read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, holding that popular morality cannot restrict fundamental rights under Article 21. Though the judgment was later overturned in Suresh Kumar Koushal v Naz Foundation, the Supreme Court ultimately restored and expanded the principle in Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India, affirming that constitutional morality must prevail over majoritarian views.
“In our constitutional scheme, it is the constitutionality of the issue before the court that is relevant, not the dominant or popular view,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also addressed the functioning of the district judiciary, underlining that trial courts are the first point of contact for most litigants and form the foundation of the justice delivery system. He stressed that due importance must be given to the recording of evidence and adjudication of bail matters.
Highlighting the role of High Courts, he said their supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution is intended as a shield to correct grave jurisdictional errors, not as a mechanism to substitute the discretion or factual appreciation of trial judges.
He recalled that several distinguished judges, including Justice H R Khanna, Justice A M Ahmadi, and Justice Fathima Beevi, began their careers in the district judiciary.
On representation within the judicial system, Justice Bhuyan noted that Telangana has made significant strides in gender inclusion. Out of a sanctioned strength of 655 judicial officers in the Telangana Judicial Service, 478 are currently serving, of whom 283 are women, exceeding 50 per cent representation. He added that members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority communities, and persons with disabilities are also represented in the state’s judiciary.
He observed that greater representation of women, marginalised communities, persons with disabilities, and sexual minorities would help make the judiciary more inclusive and reflective of India’s diversity. “The judiciary must represent all the colours of the rainbow and become a rainbow institution,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also referred to the recent restoration by the Supreme Court of the requirement of a minimum three years of practice at the Bar for entry-level judicial posts. While acknowledging that the requirement ensures practical exposure, he cautioned that its impact on women aspirants, especially those from rural or small-town backgrounds facing social and financial constraints, would need to be carefully observed over time.
Concluding his address, he reiterated that the justice system must strive to bridge the gap between constitutional ideals and lived realities, ensuring that the rule of law remains paramount.
