IND vs SL, 3rd T20I Review: Sri Lanka no match for cruising Indians
India made it a hat-trick of clean sweeps in home T20I series under Rohit Sharma, wiping away Sri Lanka after victories over New Zealand and West Indies. The six-wicket win in Dharmshala against the visiting Sri Lankan side also means India are now tied with Afghanistan and Romania for the longest winning streak of T20Is, having won 12 on the trot.
Barely 24 hours after a demoralizing loss, Sri Lanka surrendered against a formidable Indian outfit on February 27, settling for a below-par total of 146/5 after Dasun Shanuka called correctly at the toss. His decision, however, must have made him regret instantly, with Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan wreaking havoc with the new ball.
None of Sri Lanka’s top-four could even muster scores in double digits and they even breached the 140-mark was thanks to Shanaka’s counterattacking 38-ball 74* laced with nine fours and two sixes. The standard of the skipper’s effort on the night could be evidenced by the fact that the second-highest score in Sri Lanka’s batting card was Dinesh Chandimal’s 22 off 27.
However, India, who made four changes in the final game, were not even slightly challenged by the total, with Shreyas Iyer notching up a hat-trick of his own, slamming his third half-century to keep the team’s proud streak running.
In Ishan Kishan’s injury-enforced absence, Sanju Samson opened alongside Rohit Sharma, but neither of them could last long before Iyer’s undefeated 45-ball 73, constructed alongside crucial knocks from Deepak Hooda (21 off 16) followed by Ravindra Jadeja (22 off 15*) took India home with 3.1 overs left in the bank.
Top performers
Shreyas Iyer
Iyer’s innings was the highlight of India’s chase for the second night in a row and he fittingly bagged not only the Player of the Match award but also the Player of the Series award, having registered scores 57, 74 and 73 (all unbeaten).
Dasun Shanaka
Shanaka’s valiant knock went down the drain but he was solely responsible to add a semblance of respectability to Sri Lanka’s total after they were reduced to 29/4 at one point. He strung an unbeaten 86-run stand off just 47 balls alongside Chamika Karunratne to evade the large-looming threat of being restricted for a total much worse.
What next for the teams?
India and Sri Lanka now face off in a two-Test series that gets underway from March 4 in Mohali, followed by a pink-ball encounter in Bengaluru from March 12.
