SL vs IND: 3rd T20I – Hasaranga stars as Sri Lanka seal series
After the high of the ODI series win, it was a rather forgettable T20I series for Team India in Sri Lanka. The hosts lost the opening T20I but came back strongly in the 2nd, continuing their momentum in the final match to snatch the series from the visitors.
Batting first, India were restricted to a paltry 81/8 in their 20 overs. Their batting innings never quite got going with captain Shikhar Dhawan himself getting out on a golden duck. Sri Lanka no problems as they chased down the target with 33 balls to spare and 7 wickets in hands.
Let’s take a look at the talking points from the series decider:
Dhawan’s choice at the toss
Notably, India had lost the previous game batting first. While Dhawan did not have a good time with the tosses in the series, he managed to win one in the final T20I. And he chose to bat first, a decision that backfired as early as the first over of the Indian innings. Sri Lanka pacer Dushamantha Chameera removed Dhawan on the very first ball he faced, edging one to the slips. As if Dhawan’s wicket just opened the gates, the Indian batters fell like a pack of cards to set an unimposing target for the Lankans.
Wanindu Hasaranga’s spell
Shining bright once again, Wanindu Hasaranga spun a web around the Indians with an incredible spell of 4/9 in his four overs. He broke India’s back early as he trapped both Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson leg before inside the Powerplay. That was when India had already lost both openers, Dhawan and Devdutt Padikkal. Hasaranga returned to add two more wickets to his first-spell tally dismissing Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Chakravarthy.
Indian batsmen’s failure against spin
While the previous fixture was played on a used track, India failed to get going in the third and final T20I despite batting first on a fresh pitch. Hasaranga just proved too good for India on the given day, while Ramesh Mendis provided the perfect support. He claimed the wicket of Devdutt Padikkal, who already seemed to be struggling with the bat. Five of India’s eight wickets fell to spin, an aspect the coach and the team management would definitely be looking at.
