Rohit Sharma opens up after Sri Lanka beat India in second ODI

Indian captain Rohit Sharma expressed his disappointment over his team's inability to maintain a consistent level of play, which led to their 32-run defeat against Sri Lanka in the second ODI on Sunday.

He emphasized the need for discussions on how the team could better navigate the middle-overs, as this was the second instance where a significant middle-order collapse allowed Sri Lanka to regain control of the game.

“When you lose a game, everything hurts. It’s not just about those 10 overs (when India lost six wickets for 50 runs). You have to play consistent cricket, and we failed to do that. Little disappointed, but these things happen,” Rohit stated during the post-match presentation.

India struggled after leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay's remarkable six-wicket haul, which led to them being bowled out for just 208 runs, sealing their defeat.

Rohit acknowledged the need for talks about the team's middle-overs batting performance, noting that they were not up to the mark and suggesting improvements for future games.

Commenting on the team's composition, Rohit pointed out that the left-right batting combination should have facilitated easier strike rotation, but the team failed to capitalize on it. He praised Vandersay's performance and urged his batters to adapt more quickly to the conditions.

“You got to adapt to what’s in front of you. With left-right (combination of batsmen), we felt it would be easier to rotate the strike. But credit to Jeffrey, he got six wickets,” he added.

Rohit provided a strong start for India with a rapid 29-ball fifty, but after his dismissal, none of the other batsmen, except for a determined effort by Axar, managed to perform well in the spin-friendly conditions in Colombo.

“The reason I got 65 is because of the way I batted. When I am batting like that, there are a lot of risks taken. If you don’t cross the line, you always feel disappointed. But I don’t want to compromise on my intent. We understand the nature of this surface; it gets tough in the middle overs. You have to try to get as many as possible in the powerplay,” he explained.

With Sri Lanka now leading the series 1-0, India will be eager to make a comeback in the final game to level the series.