India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar analyzed the unexpected loss to Sri Lanka in the second ODI, attributing it to spin-friendly conditions that can dramatically change the course of a match.
India’s weakness against spin was evident as leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay took six wickets, leading to a 32-run defeat on Sunday. Chasing 241 on a spin-assisting pitch, India was bowled out for 208 in 42.2 overs. In the previous match, only skipper Rohit Sharma showed resistance against the spin attack.
Nayar explained, “The game can turn on its head because there is so much spin on offer.” He noted that while scoring against the new ball was easier, batting became more challenging as the ball aged, particularly in the 50-over format.
The coaching staff plans to review their strategy. “We want to go back and understand, and rectify, why it happened twice in a row. The day before yesterday, we were able to stitch partnerships but today we lost quite a few wickets in a bundle,” Nayar said.
India reshuffled their middle order, promoting Shivam Dube to number four and having Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul bat at six and seven, respectively. Nayar defended the decision, emphasizing that the middle-order batters were playing in their designated phase.
He also highlighted the added pressure on teams batting second, suggesting it contributed to India’s collapse.
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