Bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule hinted that India might continue to use their top-order batters as bowlers, viewing it as a potential "surprise element" for opponents. In the first ODI against Sri Lanka, which ended in a tie on Friday, Shubman Gill was given a chance to bowl, although he conceded 14 runs in his single over. Bahutule believes that, while batting is their primary focus, these players have valuable bowling skills that can be utilised effectively. "Our batters are also capable bowlers. Though their main role is batting, they have the ability to bowl well," Bahutule said during the post-match press conference.
In contrast, Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka shone with the ball, delivering 8.5 overs and taking 3 for 30. His crucial dismissals of Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh on consecutive deliveries played a key role in securing the tie.
Bahutule noted Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh's bowling contributions in T20Is against Sri Lanka, suggesting that having top-order batters who can bowl might be advantageous in future games. Reflecting on the ODIs, he mentioned that India could have formed better partnerships after a strong start and regretted the inability to score the final run to win. He commended the Sri Lankan spinners for their effective performance and acknowledged Rohit Sharma's solid innings of 58 off 47 balls as crucial. Bahutule also expressed regret over allowing extra runs after reducing Sri Lanka to 142 for 6 but emphasised that the bowlers did well overall, restricting the opposition to 230.