Sri Lanka vs India 2017, 4th ODI: 5 talking points

#4. Sri Lankan batsmen not staying in the crease for long

Lahiru Thirimanne was disappointing today like most of his fellow batsmen

With a target of 376 to chase down, what was expected from the Sri Lankan batsmen was to stay at the crease for a while so that they could settle in and speed up later.

However, there was only one Sri Lankan batsman who played a long innings and that was Angelo Mathews. The Sri Lankan top order just came in and went out with the likes of Niroshan Dickwella, Dilshan Munaweera, Kusal Mendis, even Lahiru Thirimanne who has been playing for the national team for a while, all returning to the pavilion shortly.

Only Milinda Siriwardana provided some assistance to Angelo Mathews during their 73-run partnership for the 5th wicket. The lower order also collapsed within the blink of an eye. Lack of longevity was a key reason behind Sri Lanka’s drubbing during the Test series and the same happened today like the other three ODIs.

The Sri Lankan batsmen need to have a lot more composure and temperament because if they don’t, then Sri Lanka may have a lot more problems in upcoming matches.