Winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Sri Lanka got off to an impressive start with Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando putting together an 89-run opening partnership.
The pair almost reached the 20th over before Axar Patel broke through with a top-edge dismissal right after the drinks break.
Notably, Axar’s effort was thoroughly backed by skipper Rohit Sharma, who was caught on the stump mic encouraging the bowler in Sinhalese.
After six overs of pace, Axar was brought into the attack. The left-arm spinner kept things tight, and Rohit, stationed at first slip, was heard saying, “anna hari, mēka hari,” meaning “that’s right, that’s right.”
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma encouraging his bowlers with the Sinhala phrase 'අන්න හරි, මේක හරි,' just like the Sri Lankan fielders. pic.twitter.com/b5RujIc5Yf
— Azzam Ameen (@AzzamAmeen) August 7, 2024
Initially, Rishabh Pant didn’t pay much attention, but Rohit’s repeated use of the phrase left Pant astonished. It was reported that Rohit learned a few Sinhalese phrases from the locals during the tour. However, using them in real-time during a live match left Twitter in splits.