Gautam Gambhir helpless, dealt brutal reality check as India left sitting ducks amid abject surrender to Sri Lanka
Hindustan TimesTo say that this was unexpected would be an understatement. There had been signs in the past, yes, but this One-Day International series capitulation has reignited doubts about India’s collective reputation as among the better players of the turning ball in world cricket. One could argue that, having surrendered 27 wickets to spin in the three ODIs, there were no excuses to make, but it can’t be forgotten that in each of the three games, India batted second when the surfaces were slow but raging turners, where the ball gripped and turned as if it had a mind of its own. India populated their batting order with nine full-time batters for the last game on Wednesday and yet ended up with their lowest total of the series, blown away for 138 in less than two hours. With India’s next 50-over matches not scheduled until February, it’s likely that Rahul will continue to be the first choice in the longer limited-overs version, leading up to the Champions Trophy in February-March.