It was a tie, so why does it feel like a defeat for Team India? Rohit Sharma announced his return in typical Hitman style against Sri Lanka for the One Day International (ODI) series curtain-raiser at R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday. Making sure opener Shubman Gill takes a backseat, Rohit did all the heavy lifting with his quick-fire 58 off 47 balls. With Indian openers taking the visitors to 75-0 inside the first 13 overs, Team India became the bookies' favourite to wrap up the 231-run chase with multiple overs to spare.

What happened next, summed up Rohit's post-match ‘these things happened’ remark. Days after Sri Lanka gained a mini-diploma in crash-and-burn finishes, the hosts produced a stunning scoreline against the same opposition. Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka bowled the 48th over when India needed only five runs from 18 balls. Asalanka, an off-spinner, exposed Team India's batting incompetence by removing an on-song Shivam Dube (lbw) for 25 as the ninth wicket.

Asalanka's Houdini act

Asalanka pulled off the Houdini act by dismissing Arshdeep Singh on the next ball, setting up a thrilling finish to the encounter. His two-in-two act salvaged a draw for Sri Lanka as the series opener ended in a tie at Colombo. From Virat Kohli (24), KL Rahul (31), Shreyas Iyer (23) to Axar Patel (33) and Dube, none of the Indian batters banked on their starts to close the game for the Gautam Gambhir-coached side. Who should get the blame for the great Indian collapse?

'Disappointed to not get that one run with 14 balls'

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Indian skipper Rohit was gracious in defeat. "The score was gettable but you have to bat well to get that. We batted well in patches but there was no consistent momentum. We started well but knew the game would start once spin comes on. We lost a few wickets and fell behind," Rohit said. "We came back through the stand between Axar and Rahul. Disappointed to not get that one run with 14 balls, but I won't read too much," the skipper added.

Great Indian collapse

From 75-1 to 230 all-out in 47.5 overs, Rohit's rollicking start failed to rescue India in the low-scoring encounter against Sri Lanka. Wanindu Hasaranga (3) and Charith Asalanka (3) shared six wickets with Dunith Wellalage (2), whose career-best knock of 67 (65) lifted Sri Lanka to 230-8 in the 50-over contest.

With no Super Over stipulation, the tie was only the second between the two teams in ODIs. "The bite was there at the start and then the ball became softer as the seam wore off. It was not a game where you can play your shots (straightway). You had to apply yourself and dig in. Proud of how we fought but it was important to hold our nerves," Rohit concluded.

Read Also: Kohli, Gambhir's early celebration in Indian dressing room turns to disbelief after Arshdeep Singh's brain fade moment