Wellalage reveals how Nissanka's batting inspired his performance against India

In the first ODI against India in Colombo, Dunith Wellalage was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance. The 21-year-old played a crucial role in Sri Lanka's batting and bowling efforts, helping the hosts post a competitive total and derailing India's chase.

Sri Lanka found themselves in trouble at 142/6, but Wellalage stepped up with a vital knock of 67* runs off 65 deliveries. His efforts helped Sri Lanka reach 230 runs in their first innings, a significant recovery that seemed unlikely at one point.

During India's chase, Wellalage was instrumental in taking two key wickets, dismissing Shubman Gill and Indian captain Rohit Sharma. Rohit, who was looking strong with 58 runs, fell to Wellalage's skillful bowling, which shifted the momentum in Sri Lanka's favor. The match eventually ended on level terms.

After the game, Wellalage shared that he drew inspiration from teammate Pathum Nissanka, who scored a crucial 56 runs. He focused on minimizing mistakes and putting pressure on India's experienced bowlers. 

“They have a lot of experienced bowlers, so the more we can limit our mistakes, the more we can put pressure on them. I was watching Pathum Nissanka bat quite a lot. I put his batting in my mind as I came up with a plan. If you take the pitch, it was one that supported spin bowling. I tried to put as much pressure on the bowler and build partnerships,” Wellalage said.

Wellalage also highlighted the importance of his bowling strategy, particularly during the powerplay. He credited Charith Asalanka for advising him to bowl during this phase, as the pitch favored spinners. 

“We knew that the wicket was spinning. So Charith Asalanka had told me that I would be bowling in the powerplay. I had good support from the wicket too. With Rohit at the time, I was trying just to bowl wicket-to-wicket, because I knew how much assistance there was from the pitch,” he further added.