R. Sri Lankan captain in the first ODI of the three -match series against Bangladesh at Premdasa Stadium Chareith Asishaka He took a decisive innings for his team, recovering from the initial crisis. After the top order collapsed, he showed tremendous maturity and excellence under pressure. With restrained strokeplay and bat, his leadership handled the innings on several turns. It was not just the captain’s innings, but a statement made at the place, on which he has now dominated his dominance.
Asananka’s century came when Sri Lanka needed him the most. Asanaka, who came to the crease for the team struggling on a score of 29/3, initially showed patience and then gradually changed gear. His 123 balls had an excellent combination of patience and aggression, including 6 fours and 4 sixes.
He made several important partnerships – especially with Janith Liange, Milan Rathnayake and Vanindu Hasranga – and never let the innings go out of control. This was Asanaka’s fifth ODI century and his first as captain. This innings raised him as a match-winner. Even more important is that this is his R.K. The fourth ODI century at the Premdasa Stadium was now that he has now joined the players scoring the most ODI centuries on this prestigious ground with Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya.
Asananka not only handled the innings, but also brought Sri Lanka to a competitive score. His calm attitude and the ability to increase the run speed at the right time gave the middle and lower order batsmen a chance to play with confidence. This performance was really extraordinary, which could decide the direction of the entire series.
Batting first in Colombo, Sri Lanka started very poorly. Pathum Nisanka and Kamindu Mendis returned to the pavilion cheaply, while the mark Madushka could not stand, causing the score to 29/3 in the first seven overs. Kusal Mendis struggled for a while and scored 45 runs, but Tanveer fell victim to Islam before the 19th over. After this Asananka took the front and gave stability to the innings.
He shared a 64 -run partnership with Liange and later added important runs with Ratnayake and Hasranga. In the middle overs, he increased the run and accelerated the innings. In the lower-medieval order, Diwan Vellage also made a useful contribution, which reached the team’s score 244.
For Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed bowled deadly and took 4 wickets for 47 runs. Tanjim Saqib took 3 wickets, while Tanveer Islam and Najmul Islam also bowled affordable. However, he could not stop Asananka’s restrained and decisive innings. Sri Lanka’s entire innings ended at 244 runs in 49.2 overs – which may have been less, but this score can be said to be completely rescue in view of the swing and turn on the pitch.
