‘It was important to stay calm’ - Wellalage recounts Sri Lanka’s fight in Colombo thriller

Chasing a modest target of 231, India were comfortably placed at 75 without loss before Sri Lanka’s spinners took charge, picking nine scalps to run through the Men in Blue. India’s lower order resisted and managed to equal the total when they were eight down, but Charith Asalanka’s double blow ensured the game was a tie.

It was Wellalage who began India’s slide but the 21-year-old credited senior teammates Wanindu Hasaranga and Charith Asalanka for pulling off this feat.

“When we bowled, the game changed with the wickets that Wanindu aiya and Charith aiya took,” Wellalage was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. “They took wickets at very difficult times, and that's how we were able to at least keep it to this score.”

Hasaranga broke a threatening sixth-wicket stand of 57 runs between KL Rahul and Axar Patel, by accounting for the former while Asalanka got Axar’s wicket in the 41st over.

“If you take Axar Patel and KL Rahul, these are batters who have finished a lot of matches. At that time we needed to get the bowlers in, and when Charith aiya got Axar out and Wanindu aiya got KL Rahul out.

“It was important to stay calm at that stage, and the match turned our way.”

Wellalage’s own contribution with the ball was sending back the Indian openers. This included the all-important wicket of Rohit Sharma, who had given the tourists a fiery start with a 33-ball fifty and looked like he was taking the game away from Sri Lanka.

“We knew that the wicket was spinning. So Charith Asalanka had told me that I would be bowling in the Powerplay,” Wellalage recounted the dismissals. “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.”

Prior to this, Wellalage had starred with the willow in the first innings. He hit a career-best 67*, inclusive of seven fours and two sixes, at a strike-rate of 103 to help Sri Lanka get to 230. Looking back at his innings, the youngster said that he took inspiration from fellow batter Pathum Nissanka, the only other Sri Lanka player to get a fifty in the game.

“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.”

The second ODI between the two sides will be played in Colombo on Sunday, 4 July.