Image Credit- AFP
India completed a 3-0 rout at Pallekele by defeating Sri Lanka in the Super Over, in one of the most strange T20I finishes ever.
Sri Lanka outperformed India in all three categories for the most part of the game, but they suffered a significant collapse in the latter stages. They had six wickets remaining and just nine runs to score from the final two overs. Having never bowled in a Twenty20 International before, Rinku Singh sent down the 19th over while taking two wickets and giving up just three runs.
Sri Lanka now needed to score six runs from six balls. With the ball turning a mile, Suryakumar Yadav made the decision to come on, giving Mohammed Siraj one over remaining. It was his debut time bowling in Twenty20 Internationals. Furthermore, India could only field four players outside the 30-yard line due to their over-rate. However, Suryakumar took two wickets and gave up just five runs to level the game.
Washington Sundar hit a wide to begin the Super Over. However, one delivery later, he had Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera caught at the boundary off consecutive deliveries. Suryakumar stroked Maheesh Theekshana’s opening delivery towards short fine leg, where Asitha Fernando allowed the ball through his hands for four, with India needing just three runs from their Super Over.
Rain caused the match to start one hour later than scheduled earlier. After winning the toss, Sri Lanka chose to send India in and held them to 137 for 9, thanks to a new pitch that benefited both seamers and spinners. It was an even more remarkable feat considering that Matheesha Pathirana did not bowl an over during the innings. After suffering a right shoulder injury in the seventh over while fielding a ball, the fast bowler left the game. He came back towards the end of the inning, but he didn’t take a wicket.
Sri Lanka then got off to a 58-run start in 8.5 overs thanks to Nissanka and Kusal Mendis. They were closer thanks to Kusal Perera’s 46 off just 34 balls, but as in the first two Twenty20 Internationals, their middle order crumbled – no one scored even 5 – to hand India the match.