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Abhishek Nayar, the Indian assistant coach, addressed the press conference after Sri Lanka registered a 32-run win over India in the second ODI of the three-match series at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The 40-year-old spoke about how the defeat for India came as a “shock” to the team management before crediting Sri Lanka for their exceptional performance.
Notably, Sri Lanka set a competitive target of 241 runs for India to chase in the second ODI after some decent contributions from most of their batters. In pursuit of the runs, India got off to a fantastic start with their captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill stitching together a 97-run stand for the first wicket.
But then, Jeffrey Vandersay, who was drafted into the Sri Lankan playing XI in place of the injured Wanindu Hasaranga, picked up six consecutive wickets, demolishing the Indian middle order. His teammates picked up the rest of the Indian wickets, to bundle them out for 208 runs, securing an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Sometimes in tough conditions, this happens: Abhishek Nayar on India's batting lineup not adapting well
In the post-match press conference, Abhishek Nayar spoke about the performance of India in the second ODI. He said, as per Hindustan Times, “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.”
“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.
Abhishek Nayar also credited Sri Lanka for their win, highlighting the spell of Jeffrey Vandersay. He said, “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.”
