Rohit Sharma dismisses suggestion of 'complacency' as India’s ODI series victory over Sri Lanka comes to an end after 27 years

In a disappointing turn of events, Team India faced a crushing 110-run loss in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka, ultimately leading to a series defeat of 0-2. Despite a target of 249 runs set by Sri Lanka, the Indian batters faltered once again, showcasing a weak performance against the skilled Sri Lankan spinners. This time, the spinners completely outplayed the Indian team, restricting them to a meager total of 138 runs.

The Indian batters struggled significantly against spin bowling in all three matches of the series, and during the post-match presentation, captain Rohit Sharma was asked if he felt the side was “complacent.” However, the skipper was visibly unimpressed with the question and called it a “joke.”

“It's a joke. When you are playing for India there is never going to be complacency. As long as I'm here, that's not going to be the case,” Rohit said wryly. However, he went on to applaud the Sri Lankan team for their performance in the game.

“But you have to give credit to good cricket. Sri Lanka played better than us,” said the captain.

Rohit also urged Indian batters to have a ‘serious look’ at their individual plans against spin bowling.

"I don't think it's a concern, but it's something we need to look at seriously — our individual game plans — and it's something (that) we were definitely put under pressure within this series,” Rohit told the broadcaster when asked about India’s struggles against spin.

Rohit said that while the series loss is not the ‘end of the world,’ it leaves the 2023 World Cup finalist with a lot to work on.

The Indian batters were bewildered by the Sri Lankan spinners, particularly by Wellalage, who claimed the crucial wickets of Rohit, Kohli, Iyer, and Axar in his initial spell before returning to complete a five-wicket haul.

India's highest partnership, a modest stand between Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, highlights the team's struggles. Succumbing to the trial by spin, India conceded their first series to Sri Lanka in 27 years.

"Series loss doesn't mean the end of the world. These guys have been playing very well over the past few years; very consistent. You will lose the odd series,” Rohit said.

"We lost the series and I feel there are a lot of areas we need to look at rather than the positives. We need to go back and look at what we need to do when we come up against conditions like this,” he added.

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