137/6 (20.0)
CRR : 6.85
199/2 (20.0)
CRR : 9.95
India won by 62 runs
Player of the Match
Player
89(56)
19.6
2
H Patel to D Chameera
Slower& fuller delivery outside off stump, Chameera plays it over extra cover region. They get a couple of runs off the final delivery.
Over 20
Sri Lanka 137/6
Dushmantha Chameera24(14)
Charith Asalanka53(47)
Harshal Patel0-10(2.0)
IND won by 62 runs
Team India stamped their authority on this match winning by 62 runs. And started the attack from the very first ball in the second innings as Bhuvneshwar Kumar used his home conditions to perfection getting the ball to seam in and away from the batters. He got the prized wicket of Pathum Nissanka on the very first ball of the innings with an incoming delivery and struck again in his second over dismissing Nissanka's partner Kamil Mishara.
Couple of catches were dropped in the powerplay by Venkatesh and Shreyas Iyer respectively but the former made up quickly and chipped in with Janith Liyanage's wicket with a slower off cutter. Ravindra Jadeja, making his comeback in the T20i team then struck in his second over dismissing the experienced Dinesh Chandimal for a cheap score.
The Sri Lanka batters failed to get going and build partnerships as the only considerable one was the one for the sixth wicket between number 4 Charith Asalanka (unbeaten 53 off 47) and all rounder Chamika Karunaratne (21 off 14). The duo added 37 runs in 4.5 overs but the required run rate climbed up to 22 runs an over by the end of 15 as the chase went away from Sri Lanka's hands.
Bhuvneshwar was the pick of the bowlers for India with figures of 2-9 in just the two overs he bowled first up. Venkatesh Iyer also picked up two wickets in three overs but his figures collapsed in his final over as he conceded 21 bowling at the death. Yuzvendra Chahal surpassed Jasprit Bumrah to become India's leading wicket taker in the format and finished with figures of 3-0-11-1. Ravindra Jadeja made a successful comeback and bowled his full quota of four overs getting a wicket for 28 runs. Jasprit Bumrah (0-19 in 3 overs), Harshal Patel (0-10 in 2 overs) and debutant Deepak Hooda (0-24 in 3 overs) went wicketless.
Presentation ceremony to follow.
Shreyas Iyer: "It wasn't very easy when I went in. Ishan was hitting the ball well and I tried to get singles and doubles to get in the flow and then tried to keep the momentum going. I just told him to time the ball and that's what he was doing since the start of the innings. He was losing patience and he also ran lots of twos and threes which you don't do in other grounds. I just asked him to calm down and play his game. Our plan was to get maximum twos and initially that's what we did. We executed all our plans nicely and it worked out well for us. I was staying in the present and wasn't thinking how many balls I placed. I though 180 would be a good total and thankfully I was able to time the ball well and read the wicket well and focused on watching the ball closely and timed it well."
Dasun Shanaka: "We were really poor in all three departments and we lost frontline bowlers in the series. They batted and read the conditions really well. I could have bowled more. Our two main spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga were out, our replacements were not experienced enough. Hopefully Asalanka will carry his form ahead in the next two games. Chameera is bowling beautifully but the situation doesn't allow me to give him a longer spell. Looking forward to play at Dharamsala."
Rohit Sharma: "When you play the kind of sport that we play, these things are bound to happen. I know Ishan for a long time now. We play for the same franchise. I know his ability and mindset. He got his rhythm back and it was pleasing to watch the way he batted from the other end. He constructed his innings after the first six overs which is a challenge for him as he likes to play his shots. We got lots of doubles and triples and found the gaps on regular occasions. Very happy with Shreyas Iyer's comeback. We want more from him and that's why we asked him to bat up the order. We will see him batting high in the order in the future games. He has improved his batting. He is in good form in the Test matches but we know what we need from him in the limited overs format. I love playing on big grounds because that's where you are tested as a batter. In Kolkata, you just time the ball and get sixes. Here you need to try and see the areas where you can attack. We had a brief chat on how we want to approach on a pitch like this. We are dropping the dollies which is not expected at this level. Our fielding coach Dilip has some work to do. We need to improve and come Australia we want to be the best fielding side."
Ishan Kishan is the player of the match for his excellent knock of 89 runs!
Ishan Kishan: "I think I got to learn a lot from the West Indies games. I was not so positive and I kept it simple today as I knew what my team wanted me to do. I enjoyed the pull shot as it is my favorite. I was waiting for them to bowl short balls as I saw some videos and knew that they loved bowling short. Its a positive thing (playing on such bigger tracks) for the batting team as you get lot of gaps. You need to hit the gaps and rotate the strike. With lot of twos coming in, the bowler will be in pressure. My plan was just to middle the ball in the areas and it turned out well for me tonight."
So that's it from our coverage for the first T20 international between India and Sri Lanka. A top notch all round performance from the hosts have ensured they go 1-0 up in the three match series. Here's Ninaad Dixit signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Wali Siddiqui and Azhar. Stay tuned for more cricket coverage from across the globe. Stay safe and take care!