Sri Lanka vs India 3rd ODI: Sri Lanka beat India by 110 runs to clinch first historic ODI series win after 27 years

India struggles chasing under lights

Chasing a target under lights was a tough challenge for India once again. They fell short by 110 runs in the third and final ODI, losing the series 2-0. This win was Sri Lanka's first series victory over India in the 50-over format since 1997, a significant achievement especially after missing out on the Champions Trophy.

Sri Lanka sets a tough target

Sri Lanka won the toss and put up 248 runs, thanks to Avishka Fernando’s 96. India had struggled with targets of 231 and 241 in the first two ODIs, so chasing the highest target of the series on a dry, abrasive pitch was always going to be difficult.

India's batting collapse

Rohit Sharma started well, but Virat Kohli had another poor performance. India crumbled quickly, losing six wickets in the first 13 overs to the spinning ball. Dunith Wellalage was a standout performer with his left-arm spin, taking four of those first six wickets. He dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Axar Patel, and Shreyas Iyer, leaving India struggling with 24 wickets lost to spin over the three matches—the most ever in a bilateral ODI series. By the end of the series, India had lost 27 wickets to spin, setting a record for any team in a bilateral ODI series.

Debutant’s mixed day

With India at 92/6, Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag were left at the crease. Parag, making his ODI debut, was out quickly after misjudging a delivery. Another change was bringing in Rishabh Pant for KL Rahul, but it didn’t make much difference.

Wellalage shines again

Wellalage continued his impressive form, taking his fifth wicket by dismissing Kuldeep Yadav. India was bowled out for 138 in just 26.1 overs, with nine wickets lost to spin. Wellalage became the first spinner to take a five-wicket haul against India more than once.

Sri Lanka sets the stage

Sri Lanka’s openers, Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando, put on a solid 89-run stand. Nissanka was aggressive early on, hitting four boundaries off Mohammed Siraj. Axar Patel broke the opening stand with a top-edged slog-sweep in the 20th over.

Fernando’s strong batting

Fernando scored a half-century and looked set for a hundred before being dismissed by a full legbreak from Parag. Parag also took the wicket of Charith Asalanka, causing Sri Lanka to collapse from 171/1 to 199/6. Despite this, Kusal Mendis stepped up in the final overs, scoring a fifty and helping Sri Lanka add 31 runs in the last three overs.

Series win for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's total proved to be more than enough, securing a memorable series win and back-to-back ODI victories over India for the first time since August 2010.

Player of the Match (Avishka Fernando):

"Very happy about the innings. The surface was tough, but the batsmen got together and did the job. Sad about missing out on the hundred, but happy to have won."

Player of the Series (Dunith Wellalage):

"First of all I want to thank my skipper and my teammates, coaching staff, everyone gave me great support. The wicket is turning, so we adjusted to the wicket. The wicket today was the same, we made less mistakes today. Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis batted really well, and Jeffrey Vandersay, myself and Maheesh Theekshana did really well with the ball."