Sri Lanka stunned India as Charith Asalanka dismissed Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh off consecutive deliveries in the 48th over to force a tie in the opening ODI at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.

India needed 15 off the last four overs with only two wickets remaining but Shivam Dube scored 10 runs off the 47th over bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga, including a six.

That eased the pressure somewhat but the drama unfolded in the next over as Dube and Arshdeep were dismissed off the fourth and fifth deliveries. Dube made 25 off 24 balls.

Chasing 231, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India a solid start accumulating 75 in 12.4 overs. The India captain was his flamboyant self scoring 58 off 47 balls with seven fours and three sixes.

India lost wickets regularly thereafter and none of the batters managed to capitalise on the starts. KL Rahul and Axar Patel then forged an useful 57-run sixth wicket stand to put India in a good position.

But the late-order failed to provide support to Dube as India lost wickets at a steady pace.

Earlier, Sri Lanka’s top-order crumbled against accurate Indian bowling but half-centuries from Pathum Nissanka and Dunith Wellalage carried them to a fighting 230/8.

Nissanka (56 off 75 balls, 9x4) was a picture of concentration and Wellalage (67 not out off 65 balls, 7x4, 2x6) batted with disdain on a pitch that offered some turn after the home skipper Charith Asalanka opted to bat first.

Lanka had a shaky start to their innings when Mohammed Siraj removed Avishka Fernando but Nissanka and Kusal Mendis (14) added 39 runs for the steady second wicket as they staged a recovery of sorts.

Just as it happened in the preceding T20I series, Sri Lanka’s batters lacked application and showed the propensity to throw their wickets away.

This is not to undermine the excellent effort put in by the Indian bowlers, who elicited several false shots from the Lankan batters.

Mendis fell leg before to Shivam Dube, who made his return to one-day cricket after a gap of five years. The ball pitched in line and moved to deceive the batter.

From a relatively comfortable 46/2, the Lankan innings soon crashed to 101/5 in the 27th over. Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sri Lanka’s best batter in ODIs for a while now, was never really able to read the spinners during his painful eight off 18 balls.

His dismissal underlined that point. The right-hander looked to push left-arm spinner Axar Patel (2/33) off the front foot but was too early into his shot, eventually chipping the ball to Shubman Gill at short cover.

Asalanka helped Nissanka to raise 31 runs for the fourth wicket but Kuldeep Yadav’s stock ball did him in. The left-hander guided the ball which spun away from him to his counterpart Rohit Sharma at first slip.

Amidst the constant turbulence at the other end, Nissanka stood like a rock and played a few delectable shots like a well-connected heave off Kuldeep Yadav to long-off for a boundary.

But Washington Sundar, who bowled his off-spin beautifully without much luck, finally managed to enter the wicket-takers’ list and had him caught with one that spun in from the off-stump trapped Nissanka in front of the wicket.

Wellalage and Janith Liyanage (20) added 41 off 43 balls for the sixth wicket to show some positive intent despite often failing to pick the Indian spinners.

Rohit’s inexplicable call to give an over to Gill also added to the pair’s growing comfort, as Liyanage pulled a short-pitched ball for a six.