In a surprising turn of events, Indian cricket fans are in disbelief as Team India suffered a rare defeat in Sri Lanka. The second ODI at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo saw India's star batsmen falter against Sri Lankan spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, leading to a 32-run loss. Sri Lanka set a target of 241 runs, and India was bowled out for 208 runs in 42.2 overs.
Captain Rohit Sharma was the top scorer for India with 64 runs, but the rest of the batting lineup struggled against spin. The first ODI ended in a tie, and with this win, Sri Lanka leads the three-match series 1-0. Even if India wins the third ODI on August 7, they will not be able to claim the series victory, though they can draw it. This marks the first time in 18 years that India will return from Sri Lanka without winning an ODI series. The last time a series between the two sides ended in a draw was in 2006. Since 2008, India has consistently won ODI series in Sri Lanka.
During the chase, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India a solid start with a 97-run partnership for the first wicket. However, the team collapsed to 133/6. Rohit scored 64 off 44 balls, and Gill made 35 off 44 balls. Virat Kohli was dismissed for 14, Shivam Dube for a duck, Shreyas Iyer for 7, and KL Rahul for 0. Axar Patel contributed 44 runs, while Washington Sundar was out for 15. Mohammed Siraj was dismissed for 4, and Arshdeep Singh was run out for 3.
Sri Lankan spinner Jeffrey Vandersay was the star of the match, taking six crucial wickets and trapping Indian batsmen in his spin web. Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka also took three wickets, securing a memorable victory for the home team.