Shikhar Dhawan (86*) and Ishan Kishan (59) starred with the bat as India defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the first ODI here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday. With this win, India has gained a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second ODI will now be played on Tuesday.
"All our boys, most of them have played earlier. They're very matured. Very happy with the way they played. Knew that wicket has a bit of turn but the way our spinners bowled from the 10th over, they got us back straightaway. All three spinners," said Dhawan during the post-match presentation.
"When we batted, it was great to watch from the other end. Great strength to have them. The way the young boys play IPL, get so much exposure, their confidence level is very high. The way Prithvi and Ishan batted, they finished the game in the first 15 overs. I thought about it (his hundred) but there were not many runs left. So the focus was on being not out. Even when Surya came in and batted, it looked so easy. I was like maybe I have to improve my skill," he added.
Talking about his knock of 43 runs off just 24 balls, Prithvi Shaw said "Rahul sir (head coach Rahul Dravid) didn't say anything, I just went with my instinct and waited for the loose balls. Obviously wanted to keep the scoreboard ticking and yeah. Pitch was very nice. The first innings also was good but I think it got better in the second innings. Enjoy pace. Maybe after being hit on the head I lost a bit of focus."
Earlier, India kept on taking wickets at regular intervals, but Chamika Karunaratne's unbeaten 43-run knock helped Sri Lanka post 262/9. For India, Kuldeep Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Deepak Chahar returned with two wickets each.
Colombo, July 18
After registering a victory by seven wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series against Sri Lanka, India skipper Shikhar Dhawan on Sunday said that young batters Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan put the hosts on the backfoot in the initial few overs and his side gained an upper hand pretty early in the match.
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