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Suryakumar Yadav’s new T20I era for India got off to a great start, despite moments of nervousness during their defence of a large score. With just five bowling options, an Indian squad struggling mightily against a strong Sri Lankan batting lineup led by Pathum Nissanka’s blistering 79. Pressure from scoreboards was one of them. Even with nine wickets remaining, Sri Lanka needed to get 74 runs off of 36.
Shubman Gill had said that his T20I batting template needed to be improved on match eve. In order to put pressure on the bowlers during the powerplay on Saturday, he lived the walk by cutting and dragging everything that was just a little bit short. Yashasvi Jaiswal adopted an equally assertive stance, resulting in a constructive competition between the two nations in their newfound opening alliance.
Before Dilshan Madushanka had Gill miscue a lofted shot to mid-on for a 16-ball 34, India amassed 74 runs in the powerplay during the course of a first-wicket stand that included 11 fours and three sixes.
Jaiswal removed Gill with the very next delivery, taking him for forty off 21 balls, but Suryakumar was soon back in form, cutting inside the line to hit a pick-up flick for six off his fourth ball. When he top-edged a Madushanka bouncer in the eighth over, he gave himself a chance on 15, but Asitha Fernando dropped the ball at fine leg. It would turn out to be expensive.
With his abundance of sweeps, Suryakumar blasted several arcs on the legside boundary, punishing Hasaranga and the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis to raise a third-wicket half-century stand. In an attempt to take on Matheesha Pathirana, SKY reached his second-fastest half-century in T20Is in just 22 balls, but was dismissed.
Pant needed 15 balls and Asitha’s mishandled catch at deep square leg to get his maiden boundary. For the majority of his innings, Pant hardly got out of second gear. He clawed his way to 20 off 23 before he hit his first six. Making 29 of the following 10, he eventually fell 49 when trying to take down Pathirana for the third consecutive boundary.
After being 135 for 2 after 12 overs, India finished with 213 runs, with Pathirana finishing at 4 for 40.
With both batsmen getting in Axar’s drifters into the stumps in the third over, Sri Lanka launched their chase. When Nissanka struck Mohammed Siraj for two sixes in the fourth over, first over third man and then over deep midwicket, he turned things up a notch. After 31 balls, Sri Lanka reached their fifty.
India were on edge when Mendis broke through the line to ruthlessly flip Arshdeep Singh into the grass banks in the ninth over. However, the batter failed to replicate the stroke off the subsequent ball, holing out to deep midwicket.
India was pushed to make mistakes by Sri Lanka’s counterattack, and Nissanka scored five runs off an overthrow to reach his half-century off only 34 balls. Soon after, Nissanka unleashed his full potential, smashing Axar over the ropes, reversing course to reach inside the line of length balls and pouncing on anything that was dragged down. However, Nissanka chopped when she tried to cut at 140 for 1. The stroll back signified an incomplete task.
India needed to defend 56 runs with four overs remaining, therefore it was inevitable that Suryakumar would go to his two front-line pacers. Rather than throwing the ball to Shivam Dube or Washington Sundar, he passed it to Parag. And unlike Axar and Bishnoi, Parag gave it a rip, albeit at a slower pace.
At a critical juncture, Arag bowled Kamindu and conceded only five runs. Then he was allowed a second over when, in a show of good faith, he picked up Theekshana and Madushanka off consecutive deliveries to win the match for Sri Lanka, who were all but out and needed 44 from six.