Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir were all smiles when Shivam Dube scored a boundary to make the scores even in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, however, their joy was short-lived as Arshdeep Singh's brain-fade moment saw a certain win for India slip out of their hands.
Only 44 times in the 53-year history of the ODI format have drawn matches. Team India has been involved in 10 of them, the second most by a team, followed by the West Indies (11). The 10th stance for India was witnessed during the India vs. Sri Lanka game, which took place on August 2 at R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo, after Rohit Sharma and his men bundled out drastically and failed to chase down a modest 231 against the hosts in the series opening thriller. The sight left India’s star batter Virat Kohli and newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir shocked and stunned.
Earlier, it was hosts skipper Charith Asalanka who won the toss and invited Rohit Sharma and his men to field first. Notably, after the hosts opted to bat first, the Sri Lanka cricket team managed to get 230 for 8 in the given 50 overs. Meanwhile, during the chase, Team India revived themselves on two occasions owing to the flabbergasting stand between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul and Axar Patel, but Sri Lanka kept chipping away with the wickets at regular intervals to emerge on top of the game. Meanwhile, for the one last time, India was seen grabbing the momentum when left-handed batter Shivam Dube hammered two sixes and a boundary to level the score with 15 balls to spare with India 8 down.
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Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, who were seated together in the Indian dressing room, were seen constantly chatting about the match and were thrilled when Dube was smashing boundaries to keep India in the dominant spot. India’s stylish right-handed batter Virat Kohli was looking so excited that he almost got up from his seat, applauding the effort from Dube, before bringing Gautam Gambhir back, who in turn had a smile on his face.
— The Game Changer (@TheGame_26) August 3, 2024
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However, Sri Lankan newly appointed skipper Charith Asalanka trapped India’s all-rounder Dube in the next ball. A bit of hope was still there, as the players had expected Arshdeep to take a single to win the game. Surprisingly, Arshdeep Singh decided to go for a big shot and was adjudged lbw, leaving the game tied.
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