Debasis Sen, Dambulla: The Indian team stayed back in Dambulla today to enjoy a complete break from cricket following their comprehensive 9 wickets win over the hosts in the first ODI last night. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli guided India home with 21.1 overs to spare. Dhawan notched up his fastest ODI ton while Virat remained unbeaten on 82 runs. The men in blue had a team bonding session today in Dambulla. They also took part in strength and conditioning exercises and pool session in the hotel. The Indian team will leave for Pallekele tomorrow to play the second ODI slated to take place on August 24.
Meanwhile, their opponents are facing the public wrath here. Upul Tharanga and his team could not avoid Sri Lankan fans’ ire last night following their humiliating defeat to India in the first ODI here. Hundreds of fans surrounded the Sri Lankan team bus and chanted slogans against the cricketers and SLC Board President Thilanga Sumathipala. The situation became so tense that police had to intervene and clear the parking lot. This incident delayed the host team’s departure from the venue by half an hour.
This was in the offing as the Sri Lankan cricketers have been struggling against a mighty Indian team. The hosts lost the three match test series under 11 days and followed it up with a abysmal performance on Sunday to lose the first ODI.
Besides their sloppy play on field, the 1996 World Cup winners have struggled to fill in the void left since the departure of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. The recent results too haven’t been exactly flattering for Sri Lanka. They crashed out of the ICC Champions Trophy in group stages following a poor show on the field apart from losing the ODI series to 11th ranked Zimbabwe.