India Batters Need To Fire In 3rd ODI vs Sri Lanka To Avoid Series Defeat After 27 Years

The onus will be on Indian batters, particularly the talismanic Virat Kohli, to follow the path laid down by skipper Rohit Sharma and tactfully counter the spin challenge in the third and final ODI in Colombo on Wednesday to avoid their first series defeat to Sri Lanka in 27 years. It's certainly not the start Gautam Gambhir, a stickler for victories, would want in his first ODI assignment as the team's head coach. India's previous bilateral ODI series defeat against the Islanders came in 1997. The Arjuna Ranatunga-led Lankans then inflicted a 0-3 hammering on Sachin Tendulkar and his men.

Since then, India and Sri Lanka have played 11 bilateral ODI rubbers home and away, with the 'Men in Blue' emerging on the right side of the result in all of them.

India will not be able to win the current three-match series after succumbing to the hosts by 32 runs in the second ODI, and conceding a tie in the first game.

This position of discomfort is brought upon the team by the batsmen, who seemed to have been plagued by indecisiveness on a RPSC pitch that offered plenty of turn to the spinners.

Curiously, none reflected that brittleness more than star batter Kohli. He has made 38 runs in two matches, but more than the volume of runs, the manner of his dismissals evoked greater concern.

Kohli looked subdued in the middle, particularly after the fiery starts given by Rohit. Kohli just needed to build on it.

But the master batter in him remained dormant as he pottered around the leg-spin of Wanindu Hasaranga in the first match and of six-wicket man Jeffrey Vandersay in the next, before eventually getting consumed by them.

He looked a far cry from the dominant batsman who once cracked four hundreds at this very same venue. Perhaps,