Former India cricketer and popular commentator Aakash Chopra took a dig at Sri Lanka legend Arun Ranatunga’s ‘B team’ comment for the Indian team after Shikhar Dhawan & Co. thrashed Sri Lanka by 7 wickets in the first ODI on Sunday (July 18). Chopra said it felt as if Team India had taken Ranatunga’s comment by heart as they produced a stunning batting display in Colombo
Ahead of the start of the ODI series between India and Sri Lanka, Ranatunga had stated that BCCI sending a ‘second-string’ Indian side for the tour was an insult to Sri Lanka cricket. The comment didn’t go down well with many Indian fans, who reminded the former Sri Lanka captain of the presence of several capped players in the squad including the likes of skipper Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Hardik Pandya among others.
Opting to bat first in the series-opener, Sri Lanka rode on Chamika Karunaratne’s 43 and captain Dasun Shanka’s 39 off 50 balls to post a challenging total of 262 runs on the board. However, the Indian batsmen made a mockery of the Sri Lankan bowling attack in the run-chase to complete a comfortable win with 13.2 overs to spare.
“Did you take it to heart? Arjuna Ranatunga had said that a second-string team had been sent and that it was an insult to them. 262 runs are not that few that you win the match like this by seven wickets and 15 overs are left,” said Chopra in a video on his YouTube channel.
Opening the batting with skipper Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw gave India a cracking start with 43 off 24 balls laced with nine fours as the duo posted 58 runs for the first wicket. Ishan Kishan then shone on his ODI debut with a brilliant 59 off 42 balls. Dhawan remained unbeaten on 86 to guide India to a convincing victory.
Hailing the fearless approach by the Indian team in the run-chase, Chopra said the visitors did well to silence the hosts, taking a dig at Ranatunga’s comment.
“The young Indian team showed how to silence the hosts. The atmosphere has changed a little. The whole way of demolishing, absolutely annihilating the opposition, destructive,” said Chopra.
India will look to continue their winning run when they take on Sri Lanka in the second ODI of the three-match series on Tuesday (July 20).
