Avishka Fernando's impressive 96 and Dunith Wellalage's five-wicket haul led Sri Lanka to a commanding 110-run victory over India in Colombo on Wednesday, securing their first bilateral ODI series win against their south Asian rivals in 27 years.
India, chasing a challenging target of 249 to tie the series at 1-1, struggled from the outset, losing key batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli early. They were eventually dismissed for a meager 138 in 26.1 overs. Wellalage was instrumental, dismissing Rohit for 35 and trapping Kohli lbw for 20, ensuring India's collapse at the R Premadasa Stadium.
Wellalage continued his dominance, removing Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, and the last man Kuldeep Yadav, finishing with figures of 5-27. Washington Sundar's valiant 30 was not enough to turn the tide for India. The series had started with a dramatic tie in the opening ODI, followed by Sri Lanka's 32-run win in the second game. India had previously dominated the T20 series 3-0 under new coach Gautam Gambhir.
Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, Sri Lanka made a strong start with an 89-run partnership between Pathum Nissanka and Fernando. Despite Nissanka's dismissal for 45, Fernando and Kusal Mendis consolidated the innings. Riyan Parag's debut ODI performance saw him break the 82-run stand and trigger a mini-collapse, but Mendis's 59 ensured a competitive total of 248-7.
