SL vs Ind: Was it a shock defeat for India in 2nd ODI? Assistant coach Abhishek Nayar responds

Rohit Sharma-led India lost to Sri Lanka by 32 runs in the second and penultimate ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Sunday (Aug 4). Chasing 241, India were 97 for no loss before the visitors collapsed in the run-chase courtesy ofJeffrey Vandersay's 6 for 33. The defeat came as a shock to many, given the strong start given by the Indian openers. It became the second successive instance where India's middle-order struggled to capitalise on a good start and fell flat in the ongoing three ODIs. After the match, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar was asked if this was a 'shock defeat'. He stated that the loss was no less than a surprise.

At the post-match presser, Nayar said, "Was it a shock? I would say yes, there is a surprise. But you anticipate and understand that in these conditions, the game can turn on its head because there is so much spin on offer. Even if you look at the last game, it was relatively easy to score against the new ball. As the ball got older, the conditions when batting second got slightly tougher. Sometimes, in tough conditions, especially in the 50-over format, this happens."

Nayar further mentioned, "We want to go back and understand, and rectify, why it happened twice in a row. The day before yesterday, we were able to stitch partnerships. But today we lost quite a few wickets in a bundle."

He added, "They bowled well - I think Vandersay bowled the ideal length in these conditions. In such conditions, when the ball is turning - and the way Vandersay bowled today, used his finger, and bowled stump to stump - you get these phases when there is assistance from the pitch. I feel today we should give more credit to Sri Lanka."

India faltered in the 231-run chase in the first ODI as well. From 75 for 0, India got dismissed for 230 with 13 balls to spare as the game ended in a tie. After a loss in the second ODI, India are now trailing 1-0 and need to end the series at 1-1 with a win in the final encounter, on Wednesday (Aug 7) in Colombo. The onus will be on the batters, who have found it tough against the Sri Lankan spinners under lights. With enough on offer for the spinners, Indian batters will have to apply themselves in the middle and try to get a win in the series decider.