Twitter Reactions: Jasprit Bumrah’s fifer restricts Sri Lanka to another mediocre total

For the first time on the tour, a Sri Lankan captain had the opportunity to make the decision at the toss. It was neither Test skipper Dinesh Chandimal, stand-in Rangana Herath nor ODI skipper Upul Tharanga but the stopgap captain Chamara Kapugedera. Virat Kohli once again called heads but the tail face turned up this time, first in the 6 occasions. Sri Lanka thought batting first was the better call and Niroshan Dickwella and Chandimal walked in to open.

The visitors had to make two changes in the XI as Danushka Gunatilaka was dropped while Tharanga is serving a ban, Thirimanne and Chandimal replaced the duo. Quite understandably Team India went in without any changes, they had no reasons to change the combination.

Opening the bowling India’s Jaspirt Bumrah was able to extract assistance from the Pallekele wicket this time. The ball was beating the outside edge of the bat and in the 4th over had Dickwella trapped in front. Kusal Mendis played 10 balls for his 1 run and was walking back as Rohit Sharma took a brilliant catch at second slip diving to his right.

Then there was a partnership and it took Sri Lanka to the 100-run mark but at snail pace. The two men who walked into the XI added 72 runs for the 3rd wicket and once it was broken it was the same old story we have seen in the first two games. Thirimanne playing an ODI for the first time after January 2016 scored a half century and looked good for a well-deserved hundred but hit it straight to Kedar Jadhav at mid-wicket on 80, the bowler once again was Bumrah.

Milinda Siriwardana’s 29 off 27 helped Sri Lanka get past 200 but he was cleaned up by the uncanny pacer who registered yet another 4-wicket haul in the series. He wasn’t done yet and achieved his first five-wicket haul cleaning up Akila Dananjaya’s woodwork. Bumrah ended his quota with figures of 10-2-27-5 his best bowling numbers in the format. Sir Lanka concluded the innings with 217 runs in their account for the loss of 9 wickets.

Here is how Twitterati reacted to the proceedings in the first half of the game