Colombo, August 7, 2024 — Following a disappointing series against Sri Lanka, Indian captain Rohit Sharma acknowledged the team’s shortcomings and hinted at potential personnel changes to address issues with adapting to spin-friendly conditions.
India’s ODI series against Sri Lanka, which began with a tied match, ended in defeat after the team struggled in the subsequent games. The middle-order faltered against Sri Lanka’s four-pronged spin attack, leading to a series loss.
“We need to think about which players could perform better on these types of tracks,” Rohit Sharma said after his team was bowled out for 138 while chasing a target of 249 in the third ODI. “You also need to give consistent chances as it’s not easy to perform in one or two chances. It was a bad series, and we need to accept it.”
The Indian captain expressed frustration over the lack of intent and aggression from his side against the Sri Lankan spinners, who put relentless pressure on the batting lineup. Sharma admitted that the team’s failure to show adaptability and individual plans contributed to their poor performance.
“It’s about individual plans,” Sharma remarked. “We have had these issues in the past where the ball has spun a bit. I can see the guys training hard in the nets and trying to play different shots, but we need to know how to keep momentum. We failed thrice. We should have won that first game which ended in a tie.”
Rohit Sharma indicated that the team might consider making changes in personnel to better tackle challenging conditions. “We know what the problems are. We will let players know what we want, and if we need to be different in terms of choosing personnel, we will do that,” he asserted.
The captain acknowledged the team’s lack of bravery throughout the series and emphasized the need for improvement. “I don’t think we were brave enough throughout the entire series and hence we lagged behind throughout. We will address these issues,” Sharma concluded.
As India looks ahead, adjustments in the squad and strategies are expected to be made to better handle challenging conditions and improve performance in future series.