“Abhishek Nayar Reflects on India’s Loss to Sri Lanka: ‘Want to Go Back and Rectify'”
India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar expressed his shock and disappointment following the team’s unexpected defeat to Sri Lanka in the second ODI, attributing the loss to the challenging spin-friendly conditions. Nayar acknowledged the impact of the spin-friendly pitch, which saw leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay take six wickets and secure a 32-run victory for Sri Lanka in Colombo.
“It was indeed a shock,” Nayar said at the post-match press conference. “You anticipate and understand that in these conditions, the game can turn drastically because of the significant spin on offer.”
India, chasing a target of 241, were bowled out for 208 in 42.2 overs. Nayar noted that the spin conditions proved difficult, with the team struggling to adjust. “Even in the previous game, apart from Rohit Sharma, the batters had a tough time. It was easier to score against the new ball, but as the ball got older, batting became more challenging. Sometimes, in tough conditions, this is what happens.”
He indicated that the coaching staff would review the team’s performance to address the issues. “We want to go back, understand, and rectify why this happened twice in a row. We managed to build partnerships in the previous game, but today we lost wickets in clusters.”
India made changes to their middle order, promoting Shivam Dube to number four while keeping Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul at numbers six and seven, respectively. Nayar defended these decisions, emphasizing that middle-order positions are crucial for handling specific phases of the game. “The position matters based on the game’s demands. When the middle order is required to bat, it’s not about when they bat but how they handle those situations.”
Nayar also highlighted the added pressure of chasing a target compared to setting one. “Batting first usually means fewer immediate pressures, whereas chasing requires constant monitoring of the run rate and wickets.”
He commended Sri Lankan lower-order batters like Dunith Wellalage, who scored vital runs in both the last and current games.
