IND vs SL | Twitter lauds India for scripting history with first D/N chase at Eden in 14 years

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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India wrapped up the ODI series against Sri Lanka on Thursday with a gritty batting display that earned them a four-wicket victory. A clinical bowling performance was followed by some up-and-down batting but in the end, they came out on top against the odds considering Eden Garden's recent history.

India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens on Thursday with a four-wicket victory. The Men in Blue cruised to the lowly total of 216 with 40 balls still to spare but it was not all smooth sailing for the hosts as the Lions put up a brave fight with the ball. Notably, it was the first successful run-chase at the Eden Gardens in a Day/Night ODI since 2009, with all the other seven encounters there in the 14-year period ending in the bowling team's favour. However, Dasun Shanaka winning the toss and opting to bat was not enough for Sri Lanka to avoid a 22nd series loss against their more-fancied rivals since 2010, the island nation having just won three in response.

The visitors lost Avishka Fernando early but soon stabilized with a half-century from debutant Nuwanidu Fernando. However, they soon collapsed from 102/1 to 177/8 as Kuldeep Yadav went ballistic with three wickets in quick succession. Dunitha Wellalage put up resistance with a classy 32, stitching a 38-run 9th wicket partnership with Kasun Rajitha to take the side to a competitive score of 215.

In response, opener Shubman Gill went ballistic at the start with a host of boundaries and was ably supported by skipper Rohit Sharma's two fours and a flamboyant six. Chamika Karunaratne halted their blitzkrieg by getting Sharma nicked behind and Gill soon followed suit after playing a pull shot straight into the fielder's hand at short midwicket. Shreyas Iyer contributed 28 runs but departed not long after Virat Kohli was castled by Lahiru Kumara, leaving the team reeling at 86/4. The newly arrived Hardik Pandya displayed great maturity for his 36(53) while KL Rahul dug in deep at the other end, their 75-run partnership ultimately setting the stage for a comfortable victory. Rahul eventually ended unbeaten on a steely 64(103), potentially setting the stage for an experimental line-up in the final encounter in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday considering the upcoming World Cup at home later in the year. 

And the winners of the next year's DID are...

Wins this bilateral

What a match

No worries, sorted!

Stats at best

India's domination

Great played

Takeaway definately

Under pressure

Confirmed for WC

Unbeaten 26th

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