India vs Sri Lanka 2017, 1st ODI: 5 things we learnt from the match

A sensational start to the ODI series saw Suranga Lakmal and his fellow seamers reduce India to 29/7 at Dharamsala in the first ODI. Opting to bowl first in conditions aiding the quicker men, Sri Lanka found themselves in a great position as the Indian batsmen looked all at sea against swing and seam.

By 10 overs, just 11 runs were scored, the lowest ever score in the powerplay overs in ODIs. India had also lost three wickets by then. They lost four more in the next 10 overs with the score still only 29. MS Dhoni then tucked and gritted his way to a half-century, taking India to a respectable 112.

But any hopes of a fightback were shunned early by Upul Tharanga's blitzkrieg. The southpaw slammed a 46 ball 49 before Angelo Mathews and Niroshan Dickwella took Lanka home with six wickets to spare.

#5 Rohit Sharma can't play swing

Rohit Sharma was befuddled in the 13 balls he faced in the innings

Rohit Sharma and swing aren't the best of friends as witnessed in the first few overs at Dharamsala. The Mumbaikar looked absolutely lost against Suranga Lakmal's rip-roaring spell and edged more than half of the balls he played at. He lasted a mere 13 balls but it was a journey he wouldn't ever want to recount.

Rohit's inability to cope with swing isn't something new. He has always had struggles against the moving ball and it is one of the cornerstones of the argument that he should not be in the Test squad for tours to countries like South Africa and New Zealand.

#4 Suranga Lakmal's outrageous spell

Lakmal bowled 10 continuous overs from end

There are few better sights in cricket than watching a fast bowler in the zone. Lakmal has time and again been in that place in recent times (most recently in the Kolkata Test against India). On Sunday, he hit his straps again and found aid from the pitch at Dharamshala.

Swinging the ball mercilessly, he ended Rohit Sharma's misery at the crease, accounted for Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey and had Bhuvneshwar Kumar wafting cluelessly. On another day, most Indian batsmen would have gotten away with their incompetence. But with Lakmal firing on all cylinders, bowling ten unchanged overs and picking up four wickets, it was impossible. He ended with the figures of 10-4-13-4.

#3 Dhoni to the rescue yet again

On a pitch where 10 Indian players found the going tough, Dhoni fought it out

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

As India stared into the abyss, MS Dhoni tried dragging them out of it. Importantly, he didn't get out and even more importantly, he kept the scoreboard ticking.

In the company of Kuldeep Yadav, Dhoni put on a valuable 41 run stand. Dhoni wasn't at his attractive best with the bat but he did what 10 others failed to do - stick in there.

He was the last man out, having faced 87 balls for his 65, helping India avoid the embarrassment of being bowled out below 100.

#2 Clueless Indian top order

The batsmen were completely at sea against some top quality bowling

India created a few unwanted records in the first 20 overs of the game. They lost their first five wickets - all single digit scores - by the time the score had reached 16, a record for India. Four batsmen were dismissed for a duck with Dinesh Karthik taking 18 balls to score zilch.

At the end of 10 overs, India had reached just 11 for the loss of three wickets. At the end of 20 overs, they had reached just 29 but seven of their batsmen were back in the hut. At one point it seemed like India would be bowled out for their lowest ODI total but with Dhoni holding the fort things changed and they racked up 112.

#1 Tharanga blasts away in the run chase

Upul Tharanga destroyed India's chances with a sizzling knock

With 113 to win, Tharanga stuck to his natural game, took on the bowlers and sped away even as Lanka lost a couple of early wickets. The southpaw was in his element right from the word go, thrashing the seamers and getting Lanka off to a flying start in a small run chase.

The manner in which Tharanga batted put pressure on India early on and gave the visitors the momentum they needed. That Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar were put off on a pitch tailor-made for the seamers was mainly due to Tharanga and his 46 ball blitz that yielded 49 runs.