Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar defended the abilities of his squad and the batting talent of his opponents prior to the last One-Day International of the series. He underlined that the team was full of skilled spin players even if the final game was anticipated to have similar spin-friendly circumstances. Many team members, Sundar pointed out, had a great deal of experience playing on such turning courses, having encountered comparable circumstances in home matches and even in the game’s longest format.
The fact that India is currently trailing 1-0 with the final match set for August 7, 2024 is surprising given the results of the last two One-Day International (ODI) matches between Sri Lanka and India prior to this white-ball series, in which India defeated Sri Lanka handily by 302 runs in the Cricket World Cup 2023 and then bowled the hosts out for a meagre 50 in the first innings of the Asia Cup 2023 final.
“We’re skilled spin players. Pitch conditions for Wednesday’s game are predicted to be very spin-friendly, much like they were for the first two games. Even at home and during Test matches, we have always played on these kind of surfaces. We play a lot of games on such surfaces in domestic cricket,” Sundar said, quoting.
Sundar, who won Player of the Series in the just finished series against Zimbabwe, said that it was important for each player to play to their strengths and do their responsibilities well. In addition, he pointed out that the Indian squad had proven throughout the years to be resilient as a unit, with each player rising to the occasion. Sundar conveyed his belief that the group can mount a successful comeback.
“They just need to look within themselves for a solution and work hard to complete the task at hand. It’s a difficult wicket, as everyone is aware. Everyone raises their hands on the Indian squad, especially when a challenge presents itself, Sundar said.
We have the chance to figure out how to complete the task at hand when things get tight: Sundar.
Sundar stated that if the hosts bat first in the last ODI, they should limit Sri Lanka to 200 runs or less, noting that they had placed Sri Lanka in similar situations in the past. He said that the third One-Day International (ODI) was an important chance for the team to show that they could perform well under duress and that these kinds of pressure-filled situations would probably occur in other competitions.
“We would really like to get them out for 200 or less. Both of those matches included them in that circumstance. We’ll be in similar circumstances leading up to major tournaments, so this will be our chance to figure out how to finish tasks when things get tight. Sundar continued, “All we have to do is raise our hands and prevail in those crucial game circumstances.
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India has faced a great deal of difficulty in this series because they have been unable to prevent Sri Lanka’s lower-middle order batsmen, especially Dunith Wellalage, from forming vital alliances in the last ten overs. Sundar, one of the three spinners predicted to be crucial in preventing the Lankans from forming any middle-order partnerships in the series finale, would surely be thinking about this problem a lot.