Dunith Wellalage Shines in All-Round Performance as Sri Lanka Holds India to a Tie in First ODI

In a thrilling encounter at Khettarama, 21-year-old Dunith Wellalage delivered an outstanding all-round performance, helping Sri Lanka secure a tie against India in the first ODI. On a challenging pitch, Wellalage emerged as Sri Lanka’s standout player, showcasing his skills with both bat and ball.

Batting at No. 7, Wellalage played a crucial role in lifting Sri Lanka to a total of 230 for 8. He scored an unbeaten 67 off 65 balls, displaying a composed and mature innings on a surface where most batters struggled to settle. Coming in at 101 for 5 in the 27th over, Wellalage started cautiously but accelerated towards the end, finding boundaries with ease and looking the most comfortable batter from either side. Drawing inspiration from teammate Pathum Nissanka, who has been in fine form throughout the tour, Wellalage adopted a similar approach, focusing on minimizing mistakes and building partnerships.

“They have a lot of experienced bowlers, so the more we can limit our mistakes, the more we can put pressure on them,” Wellalage said, reflecting on his strategy during the innings. “I was watching Pathum Nissanka bat quite a lot. I put his batting in my mind as I came up with a plan. If you take the pitch, it was one that supported spin bowling. I tried to put as much pressure on the bowler and build partnerships.”

Wellalage’s heroics were not limited to his batting. As a left-arm spinner, he played a pivotal role in the bowling attack, taking 2 for 39 from nine overs. He delivered a crucial blow by dismissing India’s top scorer, Rohit Sharma, who was looking dangerous after racing to a fifty off just 33 balls. In the 15th over, Wellalage beat Sharma with flight, trapping him in front of the stumps as he attempted a sweep shot, ending his innings at 58 off 47 balls. Earlier, Wellalage had also removed Shubman Gill with a well-flighted delivery that induced a top edge, caught by the keeper.

“We knew that the wicket was spinning. So Charith Asalanka had told me that I would be bowling in the powerplay. I had good support from the wicket too,” Wellalage explained. “With Rohit at the time, I was trying just to bowl wicket-to-wicket, because I knew how much assistance there was from the pitch.”

The middle to late overs were dominated by the spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Charith Asalanka. Hasaranga took three crucial wickets, including the scalps of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Kuldeep Yadav, while Asalanka provided the final breakthroughs, taking two wickets in the 48th over. His dismissal of Axar Patel, caught behind, was particularly crucial as India had already leveled the scores.

“When we bowled, the game changed with the wickets that Wanindu aiya and Charith aiya took. They took wickets at very difficult times, and that’s how we were able to at least keep it to this score. If you take Axar Patel and KL Rahul, these are batters who have finished a lot of matches,” Wellalage said. “At that time, we needed to get the bowlers in, and when Charith aiya got Axar out and Wanindu aiya got KL Rahul out, it was important to stay calm at that stage, and the match turned our way.”

With this all-round performance, Wellalage not only played a pivotal role in securing a tie but also showcased his potential as a key player for Sri Lanka in future encounters. The match, held at the R Premadasa Stadium, set the stage for an exciting series, with the next ODIs scheduled for August 4 and August 7.

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