Just when India’s meeting with Sri Lanka was heading towards an anticlimactic ending for the visitors, Indian pacer Mohammed Shami tried to outsmart Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka at the non-striker’s end with a clever run-out on Tuesday. Kickstarting its preparations for the 2023 edition of the ICC event, Rohit Sharma-led India squared off against Sri Lanka in the first One Day International (ODI) of the World Cup year at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.

Staging an impressive fightback for the visitors in the high-scoring contest, Sri Lanka captain Shanaka played a stellar knock against India in the series opener at Guwahati. Shanaka, who earned plaudits for his lone warrior act in the 1st ODI, was caught short of the crease by speed merchant Shami in the final over of the action-packed contest. Though Shami removed the bails and completed the dismissal of the Sri Lankan batter, the hosts opted to withdraw the appeal following a slight intervention from skipper Rohit, the Hindustan Times reported.

The incident happened on the fourth ball of the 50th over. In his bid to prevent the single on the next ball, Rohit fired a bullet throw at the batter’s end. However, Rohit’s attempt to dismiss the batter backfired as there was no player backing up his throw which missed the target. Shanaka managed to retain the strike and Sri Lanka earned five runs following the overthrow incident.

Facing Shami after taking the strike back from Kasun Rajitha, Sri Lanka skipper Shanaka creamed a boundary to complete his century on the penultimate ball of the contest. Finishing things in style for the crestfallen Sri Lankan side, Shanaka then smoked a handsome six on the final ball to end the high-scoring encounter at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.

The Sri Lanka skipper remained unbeaten on 108 off 88 balls as Sri Lanka scored 306-8 in 50 overs. However, Shanaka’s batting masterclass went in vain as the Virat Kohli-starrer India defeated the visitors by 67 runs. With the convincing win over Sri Lanka, Rohit-led Team India has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.