Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Vandersay's 6/33 takes Sri Lanka to big ODI win over India

Vandersay's 6/33 takes Sri Lanka to big ODI win over India

Sri Lanka's Jeffrey Vandersay achieved career-best figures of 6/33, leading to a dramatic collapse in India's batting and securing a 32-run victory for his team in the second one-day international on Sunday.

The 34-year-old Vandersay, who replaced injured spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, took the first six wickets in India's chase of 241 at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium.


Skipper Charith Asalanka took three wickets, bowling out India for 208 and giving Sri Lanka a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after the opener ended in a tie.

India captain Rohit Sharma scored 64, starting strong with Shubman Gill, who made 35, in a 97-run opening stand before Vandersay's leg-spin disrupted the innings.

"Lot of pressure coming into this game. I am coming after a long lay-off and I had to do something," Vandersay said after being named player of the match. "Credit to our batters. They put a competitive total on a tough wicket. That helped me to attack, keep bowling on good areas and the wickets kept coming."

Vandersay acknowledged his opportunity came due to Wanindu Hasaranga being ruled out of the series after a hamstring injury in the opener. "Wanindu Hasaranga is our number one spinner," said Vandersay. "I have understood that the selectors have a tough call to make. Whenever the opportunity comes I need to take it."

Rohit scored his second successive half-century but was dismissed attempting a reverse sweep. Kamindu Mendis took a catch at slip to dismiss Gill off Vandersay.

Vandersay continued taking wickets, including trapping Virat Kohli lbw for 14 and bowling KL Rahul for a duck, reducing India to 147-6. Axar Patel tried to revive the chase with 44 runs and a 38-run partnership with Washington Sundar, who made 15, but Asalanka broke through.

Asalanka got Patel caught and bowled, continuing the charge to bowl out India in 42.2 overs with a final run out.

"If you want to win games, we understand we have to play consistent cricket and we failed to do that today," said Rohit. "Disappointing, but these things happen."

Dunith Wellalage, who scored 39, and Kamindu, who hit 40, set up the win with a 72-run seventh-wicket stand after Sri Lanka slipped to 136-6. Kuldeep Yadav broke through, dismissing Wellalage, but Kamindu added crucial runs with Akila Dananjaya, who scored 15.

Kamindu was run out on the penultimate ball of the innings by Shreyas Iyer, while Kohli ran out Dananjaya. Asalanka won the toss and elected to bat, but the Indian bowlers took regular wickets, with Mohammed Siraj dismissing Nissanka on the first ball of the match.

Avishka Fernando made 40 and shared a 74-run second-wicket partnership with Kusal Mendis, who scored 30. Sundar dismissed Fernando and Kusal, and took Asalanka's wicket for 25, returning figures of 3-30.

The final match is on Wednesday at the same venue.

(With inputs from AFP)

More For You

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

Keir Starmer speaks during a reception for public sector workers at 10 Downing Street in London on July 1, 2025. (Photo by CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer faced the most serious test of his leadership on Tuesday (1) as his government’s flagship welfare reforms came under fierce attack from within his own party.

The day was marked by emotional speeches, last-minute concessions, and a deep sense of division among Labour MPs, many of whom said the proposed changes would push vulnerable people into poverty

Keep ReadingShow less
Lucy Letby

Letby, from Hereford in western England, was charged in 2020 after a series of deaths in the hospital's neo-natal unit.

Three senior hospital staff arrested in Lucy Letby case probe

POLICE on Tuesday said they had arrested three senior staff members at the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies. The arrests were made on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

The investigation was launched in 2023 at the Countess of Chester Hospital (CoCH) in northwest England, following Letby’s conviction and life sentence for killings that took place between 2015 and 2016.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dan Houser new game

Fresh take on the open-world genre from one of its most influential creators.

YouTube/ Rockstar Games

Red Dead Redemption creator Dan Houser confirms new open-world game in development

Key points

  • Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser is developing a new open-world video game.
  • The game is set in the universe of A Better Paradise, a sci-fi audio series launched in 2023.
  • A Better Paradise is being adapted into a novel series, with the first volume due in October 2025.
  • Houser left Rockstar in 2020 and founded Absurd Ventures in 2021.
  • There is no confirmed release date for the game at this time.

Dan Houser, the acclaimed co-creator behind Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto, has officially confirmed that his new company, Absurd Ventures, is developing a new open-world video game. The title will be set in the universe of A Better Paradise, a science fiction IP first introduced in audio format last year.

A new venture after Rockstar

Dan Houser, a founding figure at Rockstar Games, played a central role in writing and producing some of the studio’s most celebrated titles, including Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto V, and Bully. After leaving Rockstar in 2020, he launched Absurd Ventures in 2021.

Keep ReadingShow less
Diljit Dosanjh
Diljit Dosanjh in a still from Sardaar Ji 3 set for overseas release only
IMDB

Diljit Dosanjh’s 'Sardaar Ji 3' becomes highest-grossing Indian film in Pakistan amid boycott in India

Quick highlights:

  • Sardaar Ji 3 rakes in £275,000 (₹3 crore) on opening day in Pakistan, surpassing Sultan.
  • Diljit Dosanjh responds to backlash: “When we shot the film, everything was fine.”
  • Film was not released in India due to controversy over Pakistani actress Hania Aamir’s casting.
  • Worldwide opening weekend collection touches £1.6 million (₹18.1 crore).

The Punjabi-language horror-comedy Sardaar Ji 3, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, has become the highest-grossing Indian film ever released in Pakistan. Despite being banned in India, the film grossed £275,000 (₹3 crore) on its opening day and £825,000 (₹9 crore) over the first weekend in Pakistan alone.

Keep ReadingShow less