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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J’khand: All 7 on board air ambulance killed in crash, bodies brought to hospital for post-mortem
Ranchi (PTI): All seven persons on board an air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, and their bodies have been brought to a hospital for post-mortem examination, officials said on Tuesday.
The Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was en route to Delhi from Ranchi when it crashed on Monday evening in the Bariatu Panchayat area of Simaria, located deep inside a forest, killing all seven onboard, including two pilots.
"We have brought all the seven bodies for post-mortem at Sadar Hospital, Chatra. The crash is being investigated," an official told PTI.
ALSO READ: Air ambulance with 7 onboard to Delhi from Ranchi crashes in Jharkhand's Chatra
The aircraft took off from Ranchi airport at 7.11 pm and went missing around 7.30 pm. It lost contact with the air traffic control about 20 minutes after departure, he said.
Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said inclement weather could be a possible reason behind the crash, though the exact cause would be ascertained after a detailed probe.
Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari said the state government will conduct a probe into how permission was given to the aircraft to fly during “inclement weather”. He also said proper compensation would be given to the kin of the deceased.
Terming the crash extremely unfortunate, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth said unpleasant weather could be one of the reasons, which will be determined by the probe.
In a post on X, former chief minister and BJP leader Champai Soren said he was deeply saddened.
The deceased have been identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.
Meanwhile, a lingering sense of grief prevailed in Chatra district, as the near and dear ones of those killed in the crash expressed shock and disbelief.
Bajrangi Prasad, the father of deceased Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, said he had sold all his land to make his son a doctor, who was posted at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi.
"He has a seven-year-old son... He was meritorious and had completed his MBBS from Odisha’s Cuttack," Prasad, who hails from Bihar’s Aurangabad district, said.
Family members of Sanjay Kumar (41), however, blamed the “poor” health infrastructure behind the tragedy.
"Had we given proper treatment to my brother-in-law Sanjay in Ranchi, precious lives could have been saved. I lost both both Sanjay and sister Archana Devi in the incident," Kumar said.
Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G had earlier told PTI that the bodies of all seven deceased were retrieved from the crash site and shifted to Chatra hospital for post-mortem examination.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Beechcraft C90 aircraft (VT-AJV) was operating a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi-Delhi sector when it crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district.
“The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi,” it said, adding that there were seven people on board, including two crew members.
An Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team has been dispatched to the crash site.
According to the DGCA website, Delhi-based non-scheduled operator Redbird has six aircraft in its fleet, including the one that crashed.
Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, told PTI that the air ambulance was arranged by one of their patients.
"The patient, Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Chandwa in Latehar district, was brought to the hospital with 65 per cent burn injuries on February 16. He was being treated in the hospital," he said.
The family members decided to take him to Delhi for better treatment, Sinha said.
"They arranged for an air ambulance on Monday. The patient left the hospital for Delhi around 4.30 pm," he said.
