Kudos to Team India for winning the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo as part of the bilateral series. In particular, Shikhar Dhawan must be lauded for his strategic decisions as captain in the first ODI.
Dhawan, who excelled in batting in the match, had asked leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl the10th over. Surprisingly, Chahal took the wicket in the first ball itself. This was a much-needed respite. As Sri Lankan opener Avishka Fernando was becoming a massive threat with his aggressive play.
Strategically letting loose a leg-spinner against Avishka Fernando, Shikhar Dhawan has abetted India gain an advantage. Conversely, this was a huge shock to the Sri Lankan team.
In his first over, Chahal aimed the first ball at the middle stump. Fernando tried to play the ball in different direction. However, the ball did not connect properly and the ball went straight into the hands of fielder Manish Pandey who was in the covers.
This is Shikhar Dhawan's first time captaining Team India. He is making an excellent use of bowlers and batsmen. Dhawan, who had Bhubaneswar and Deepak Chahar to bowl first, followed the innings with the bowlers Hardik Pandya and Chahal. In batting, Kishan, not Sanju Samson was taken into the final squad and achieved a good result.
