3rd ODI: Will India stave off SL to keep 27-year record intact?

The Indian batsmen will need to tactically navigate the spin challenge in the third and decisive ODI on Wednesday to prevent their first series loss to Sri Lanka in nearly three decades, 27 years to be precise. The path has been set by captain Rohit Sharma, and it is up to the rest of the batting lineup to follow the skipper.
In his maiden ODI series as head coach, this is definitely not the start Gautam Gambhir would have envisioned, given his emphasis on winning.
India were last defeated in a bilateral ODI series against the Lankans in 1997. India haven’t lost for 11 series of 50-over internationals between the two teams since then.
However, the visitors find themselves in an unfamiliar position, after a tie in the opening match and a 32-run defeat in the second. Winning the three-match series is now beyond India’s grasp, and the team will be determined to avoid a defeat in the final match of the series at Colombo‘s R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday.
This position of discomfort is brought upon the team largely by their batsmen, who seemed to have been plagued by indecisiveness on a pitch that offered plenty of turn to the spinners.
Star batter Virat Kohli epitomized the team’s fragility more than anyone else. Besides scoring only 38 runs in two matches, it’s the nature of Kohli’s dismissals that has raised concerns.
Kohli has appeared subdued in the middle, after the explosive starts provided by Rohit in the two games. The master batter within Kohli remained dormant as he struggled against the leg-spin of Wanindu Hasaranga in the first match and Jeffrey Vandersay, who claimed six wickets, in the second, before eventually succumbing to them.
Perhaps, Kohli should focus on the happier memories rather than allowing his mind to be shackled by the current challenges. India’s success in the middle overs, whether chasing or setting a target, heavily relies on a free-flowing Kohli.
Shivam Dube, India’s designated spin-basher, failed to read a simple leg-break from Vandersay in the second one-dayer, resulting in an lbw dismissal. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, known for their prowess against spinners, have struggled to use their feet and wrists effectively against the Lankan slow bowlers.
The solution possibly lies in observing Rohit’s batting, not necessarily his approach, but the confidence and strategy behind his innings.
Rohit’s mastery over the Lankan bowlers, both pace and spin, has been remarkable. His 44-ball 64 was a display of well-calculated strokes that never seemed risky.
The team management may reconsider Dube’s position in the lineup when deciding the eleven for the match on Wednesday.
Given the conditions in Colombo and the nature of the pitch, batting allrounder Riyan Parag’s spin bowling can prove more useful than Dube’s straightforward medium pace.
On their end, the Indian bowlers need to step up their performance in the crucial stages of the game as the previous matches highlight their failure to bowl the hosts out for a low score despite reducing them to 142 for 6 and 136 for 6.