Despite having a nearly robust side, India's humiliating defeat in the ODI series against Sri Lanka has come as a huge surprise. Key players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and others have failed to meet expectations, resulting in India's 2-0 loss in the three-match ODI series. The Indian team's struggles in the 50-over format, following a significant 3-0 T20I series victory, have served as a stark and unexpected contrast.

In the T20I series, India displayed exceptional performance, winning all three matches convincingly. The surprising result in the ODI series against Sri Lanka has sparked heated disputes among fans and analysts, encouraging a closer look at the circumstances that led to India's demise. Let's take a closer look at the three main factors contributing to this surprising result.

Is this the viable start to the GG era?

GG, a.k.a Gautam Gambhir, has been prominent for his unique and aggressive approach, whether in his batting or recent coaching form. His breakthroughs occurred during his coaching stint as the Head Coach of Lucknow Super Giants and his recent successful campaign as the Mentor of the 2024 IPL champions, Kolkata Knight Riders. Kickstarting his coaching stint in the recent T20I tour against Zimbabwe, the selection committee has drawn flak for the squad against Sri Lanka, specifically about the exclusion of deserving players and a hint of bias towards the coach's former IPL team.

But, as it's the beginning of his coaching stint, a few questioning decisions and takes would arise. With this ODI series loss against Sri Lanka after 27 years, all it takes is a few more series and tournaments, where we might see a positive impact and results in the coming days. 

A tough time with the Lankan spin and its spinmeisters. 

One of India's most apparent concerns was its failure to counter Sri Lanka's spin onslaught. The island nation's spinners, particularly Dunith Wellalage and Jeffrey Vandersay, proved to be a thorn in the Indian hitters' sides. The Indian middle order, in particular, failed to understand the flight and turn of the ball, resulting in regular breakdowns. Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, and others were blatantly exposed to spin and lost their wickets without a fight. 

This exposes a big crack in India's armour, a weakness already identified- the team's struggle against quality spin bowling. The inability to react to the circumstances and spin fluctuations were significant factors in their series defeat. 

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Rohit Sharma's one-man army show doesn't suffice.

Rohit Sharma, the winning captain of the T20 World Cup, has long been a mainstay of India's batting lineup. His contributions have been crucial to India's progress. However, over-reliance on him turned out to be a double-edged sword. When he made a solid start to the batting but failed to fire, the Indian batting order appeared devoid of ideas and lacked depth to compensate for his absence.

To ensure long-term success, India must adopt a more balanced strategy that includes contributions from the entire batting order. The absence of notable performances by other batters underscores the need for a more unified and well-rounded batting plan, instilling hope for India's future performances.