On This Day — Vandersay’s 6-Wicket Haul Powers Sri Lanka to 32-Run Win Over India in 2nd ODI

Despite India fielding a strong side with big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul, the visitors fell short in their chase. It was a complete team effort by Sri Lanka, with some standout performances that turned the game. Here’s a look at how the match unfolded and how Sri Lanka pulled off a memorable win.

India vs Sri Lanka: 2nd ODI on 4th August 2025

The 2nd ODI of the India tour of Sri Lanka, played on August 4, 2024, at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium, was a cracking game where Sri Lanka put up 240/9 in their 50 overs, setting a target that India couldn’t chase. They finished at 208 in 42.2 overs. Let’s walk through both innings, focusing on who scored what, who bowled how, the partnerships that mattered, and the moments that turned the game.

Sri Lanka Innings

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat, but their innings got off to the worst possible start. Mohammed Siraj steamed in and got opener Pathum Nissanka to nick the very first ball, caught by KL Rahul behind the stumps for a duck. At 0/1, it was a nightmare beginning. Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis had to dig in, and they did just that, putting on 74 runs for the second wicket. Fernando was the aggressor, cracking 40 off 62 balls with five lovely boundaries as his cover drives were pure class, finding gaps with ease.

Mendis, the keeper, played it steadier, scoring 30 off 42 balls with three fours, keeping things calm while Fernando took on the bowlers. They got Sri Lanka to 50 in 12.2 overs, helped by 9 extras like wides and byes. Things were looking solid until Washington Sundar came on in the 17th over and got Fernando to hit one back to him for a caught-and-bowled. Two overs later, Mendis was pinned lbw by Sundar after a review confirmed the decision, leaving Sri Lanka at 79/3 after 18.1 overs.

Next up, Sadeera Samarawickrama and skipper Charith Asalanka tried to steady the ship, adding 32 runs for the fourth wicket. Samarawickrama played a cautious 14 off 31 balls, nudging a single four, before Axar Patel got him caught by Virat Kohli in the 26th over. Asalanka looked good for his 25 off 42 balls, stroking three boundaries with some crisp shots, but Sundar struck again in the 35th over, getting him caught by Axar. By then, Sri Lanka were in trouble at 136/6, with Janith Liyanage also gone for 12 off 29 balls, caught and bowled by Kuldeep Yadav in the 33rd over. Liyanage’s slow knock showed how India’s spinners were making life tough on a pitch that was starting to grip.

But Sri Lanka’s lower order had other ideas. Dunith Wellalage came in and played a blinder, smashing 39 off 35 balls, including a four and two sixes. He took on the spinners, lofting shots over the infield and hitting a big six that got the crowd buzzing. Kamindu Mendis joined him, playing a smart 40 off 44 balls with four boundaries, keeping the runs ticking over. Their 72-run stand for the seventh wicket was a game-changer, taking Sri Lanka from a shaky 136/6 to 208/7 by the 46th over.

Wellalage’s attacking shots, like a lofted cover drive and another six, kept the momentum going, while Mendis rotated the strike to keep the partnership alive. Wellalage fell to Kuldeep, caught by Shivam Dube, and Mendis was run out in the final over, just missing a fifty. Akila Dananjaya gave a late boost, cracking 15 off 13 balls with two fours, before getting run out on the second-last ball. Jeffrey Vandersay was not out on 1, and Sri Lanka wrapped up at 240/9. Extras were handy, adding 24 runs with 9 byes, 8 leg byes, and 7 wides, which gave their total a nice lift on a spinner-friendly pitch.

India’s bowlers were disciplined, with Washington Sundar leading the charge. He bowled 10 tight overs, picking up 3/30, including a maiden, using his spin to break partnerships. Kuldeep Yadav was sharp too, grabbing 2/33 in his 10 overs, getting Wellalage and Liyanage with clever changes of pace. Siraj started with that early wicket of Nissanka, ending with 1/43 in 8 overs.

Axar Patel took 1/38 in 9 overs, while Arshdeep Singh had a tough day, leaking 58 runs in 9 overs without a wicket, struggling to hit the right lengths. Shivam Dube bowled a couple of neat overs for 10 runs, and even Rohit Sharma rolled his arm over for two overs, giving away 11 runs. India’s spinners bowled plenty of dot balls for 35 between Sundar and Kuldeep, keeping things tight in the middle, but Sri Lanka’s lower order fought hard to set a decent target.

India Innings

Chasing 241, India came out swinging, thanks to a fiery 97-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Rohit was on fire, smashing 64 off 44 balls with five fours and four sixes. He took on everyone, lofting drives over cover and launching big shots that cleared the ropes easily. Gill played the anchor, scoring a calm 35 off 44 balls with three boundaries, letting Rohit do the heavy lifting. They raced to 50 in just 6.5 overs, with Rohit hitting his fifty off 29 balls, full of boundaries and sixes. By the 10-over powerplay, India were sitting pretty at 76/0, looking like they’d cruise to the target.

Then came Jeffrey Vandersay, and the whole game flipped. The leg-spinner struck in the 13th over, getting Rohit to loft one to Pathum Nissanka at cover for 64. That wicket opened the floodgates. Gill followed in the 17th over, caught by Kamindu Mendis off Vandersay for 35, breaking the opening stand. Shivam Dube pushed up the order, lasted just four balls, trapped lbw for a duck by Vandersay.

Virat Kohli came in at three, looking to steady things, but managed only 14 off 19 balls with two fours before Vandersay got him lbw in the 19th over. Shreyas Iyer couldn’t handle the spin either, scoring 7 off 9 balls before Vandersay had him lbw in the 21st over. KL Rahul, the keeper, was bowled for a duck off two balls by Vandersay, leaving India in tatters at 147/6 after 23.1 overs. Vandersay’s 6/33 in 10 overs, with 36 dot balls, was pure magic, as he spun a web around India’s batsmen on a turning track.

Axar Patel tried to fight back, playing a gutsy 44 off 44 balls with four fours and two sixes. He took on the spinners, hitting some big shots to keep India in the game. Axar put on 38 runs with Washington Sundar, who grafted 15 off 40 balls, but both fell to Charith Asalanka’s part-time spin. Axar was caught and bowled in the 33rd over, and Sundar was lbw in the 35th, pretty much killing India’s hopes. Kuldeep Yadav hung around, finishing not out on 7 off 27 balls, but he had no real support. Mohammed Siraj scratched out 4 off 18 balls before Asalanka trapped him lbw, and Arshdeep Singh was run out for 3 in the 42nd over. India were all out for 208, 32 runs short. Extras added 15 runs, 4 byes, 6 leg byes, 4 wides, and a no-ball to their total.

Sri Lanka’s bowling was all about Vandersay’s unreal 6/33, which won him the Player of the Match. Asalanka backed him up with a tidy 3/20 in 6.2 overs, nabbing big wickets with his spin. Asitha Fernando kept things tight, giving away 31 runs in 7 overs without a wicket. Dunith Wellalage went for 41 in 6 overs, and Akila Dananjaya was expensive, conceding 54 in 10 overs, but they kept the pressure on. Kamindu Mendis bowled three overs for 19 runs, mixing things up. The spinners, especially Vandersay, bowled 29 dot balls, using the pitch’s turn to wreck India’s chase.