SL vs IND: Janith Liyanage walks off despite umpire ruling him not out, replay affirms same

Sri Lanka opted to bat first in the first ODI after winning the toss and they could not capitalise on the decision as the batting lineup crumbled. Pathum Nissanka played a resilient knock of 56 off 75 but the lower order failed in substantial contribution. Dunith Wellalage and Janith Liyanage stitched a 41-run stand and Liyanage gifted his wicket even when umpire ruled him not out.

On Axar Patel’s second ball of the 35^th over, the right-handed batter shimmied down the track anticipating a big hit. However the ball seemed to nick past his outside edge but in essence, it got deflected off wicket-keeper, KL Rahul’s pads. The first slip fielder grabbed the catch as Indian players appealed. However, the umpire got things right and ruled the decision in Liyanage’s favour but the batter decided to walk off assuming he was gone.

Here’s Liyanage’s mishap in the game:

I tried to sweep the ball and rotate the strike: Wellalage

Wellalage continued his fight against the formidable Indian bowling, as he notched up an unbeaten 67 off 65 balls against the run of play. He smashed seven boundaries and two maximums to take his to a respectable total of 230 in 50 overs. For India, Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel dazzled with two wickets each. Wellalage admitted that India have a good batting lineup while also being hopeful of 231 being a defendable target.  

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“Wicket - little bit turning. I knew it was turning, so I tried to play my normal game. The wicket was slow and I tried to sweep the ball and rotate the strike. They (India) have a good batting line-up but 231 is a good score. We have No. 1 bowler - Wanindu Hasaranga - and good fast bowlers. We can give a good fight. Not easy to bat on. With good bowling partnerships and dot balls, it's not easy to bat here,” said Wellalage after the game.