Colombo: A rejigged Indian team promised a lot but delivered little as Sri Lanka finally managed to win a ODI on home soil after nine long years, beating the visitors by three wickets in the third and final match of the series on Friday.
While India won the three-match ODI series 2-1, the exciting rookies who were blooded on the day still have a long way to go before they can come close to challenging the big boys after the Sri Lankan spinners made full use of a rain break to bowl out Shikhar Dhawan's men for 225 in 43.1 overs out of a possible 47. It wasn't defendable, especially for an attack that had four debutant bowlers as Avishka Fernando (76 off 98 balls) anchored the chase, laying the foundation with a 109-run stand with Bhanuka Rajapaksa (65, 56 balls).
The only silver lining would be a big-hearted effort from left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya (2/34 in 8 overs), including a back of the hand delivery that reared up awkwardly and lobbed off Dhananjaya de Silva's gloves. Rahul Chahar (3/54 in 10 overs) was also impressive as he delayed the inevitable with some impressive stuff towards the end. The 227-run chase as per DLS method was finally completed in 39 overs as it was Sri Lanka's first ODI win at home against India since July 24, 2012.