After the series was concluded, veteran Indian cricket player Wasim Jaffer spoke about the 2025 Champions Trophy. Wasim Jaffer expressed concern over India’s lack of ODI experience prior to the major tournament.
Sri Lanka defeated Team India in their three-match ODI series. India had not lost an ODI series against Sri Lanka in 27 years. Following a tie in the first ODI, India lost the second and third matches, allowing Sri Lanka to stun everyone by winning the series.
With X, Wasim Jaffer stated that while losses are a part of the game, having few ODIs to practise before the Champions Trophy worries him.
India’s first ODI assignment under new head coach Gautam Gambhir ended in disappointment for the visitors.
“SL deserved to win the series because they played superior cricket. The fact that India lost a series doesn’t concern me. There are wins and defeats in this game. But the fact that India only has three One-Day Internationals remaining until the Champions Trophy is concerning, Jaffer wrote on the Twitter-formerly-X microblogging platform.
SL played better cricket and deserve the series win. It doesn’t worry me that India lost a series. Wins and losses are part of the game. However it’s a point of concern that India has just 3 ODIs before the Champions Trophy. #SLvIND
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) August 7, 2024
There’s no room for complacency when representing India: Rohit Sharma
When it comes to the third One-Day International, the Lankan Lions batted first and amassed 248 runs in the first innings. In addition, the hosts produced a superb ball-handling display as India came out to chase, bowling them out for just 138 runs to win the match by 110 runs.
Following the match, Indian captain Rohit Sharma took the mic after the game to praise Sri Lanka’s performance, saying that the hosts outperformed them and that the Indian team will be working on a few areas to strengthen their performance.
“One cannot be complacent when representing India in sports. Giving credit where credit is due is necessary; Sri Lanka outperformed us on the pitch. We chose our combination because we considered the circumstances and sought to slow down the ball. Overall, we didn’t play very well during the series, which is why we’re in this position.
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There were a few advantages as well. Certain hitters in the middle were also bowled by the spinners. During the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit Sharma stated, “We lost the series, and I feel there are a lot of areas we need to look at rather than the positives.”