In the first encounter of the three-match series, India defeated Sri Lanka by a score of 43 runs. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the proceedings with a superb start, as the Men in Blue played an aggressive brand of cricket. India gained significant impetus when they stitched together a partnership of 74 runs. Following their removal, Suryaumar Yadav took care of the business. Gill scored 36 runs, while Jaiswal hit 40.
With 26 deliveries, the flamboyant hitter scored 58 runs by hitting boundaries for enjoyment. Afterwards, India scored 213 runs in the first innings thanks in part to 49 runs scored by Rishabh Pant.
India’s sole real concern going into the first T20I would likely be that the lower-middle order failed to perform.
The Lankan openers established an 84-run partnership and seemed unbeatable in the chase. After scoring 45 runs, Kusal Mendis left the game, and Pathum Nissanka scored 79. But once they were out, Sri Lanka lost by 43 runs as they were bowled for 170 runs after wickets tumbled like a house of cards. For India, Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel each took two wickets, while Riyan Parag claimed three in just eight deliveries.
1. Suryakumar delivers on captaincy debut
Even though Suryakumar didn’t lead the national team from the start, this is the official start of his leadership of the T20I squad. But the batsman from Mumbai was not at all nervous; he played the same aggressive style of cricket. With his outstanding batting, he helped India gain momentum in the middle.
2. The approach remains the same
Positively, India’s strategy did not change under Gautam Gambhir. They can quickly become the dominant team in the globe if they continue to play the same aggressive style of cricket.
3. Riyan Parag’s magic
Parag took three wickets in eight deliveries of the ball. Parag might be the ideal candidate for the bowling-capable hitter that India was sorely lacking. But batting is one area where the all-round player needs to get better.
Losing skipper Charith Asalanka said:
We were not up to the mark in the powerplay, but in the latter part, we came back pretty strong. Some stage, we thought they might get to 240, we did well. Little disappointed with the way the middle-order batted, we could have done better. (On the balance of his side) It’s an experiment, this is the way we should go in the future.
Winning skipper and POTM Suryakumar Yadav said:
They were playing a good brand of cricket from ball one. They were keeping the tempo, credit goes to them. We know how the wicket plays in the night. We were fortunate that there was no dew. The way we played in the World Cup, that reminded us that the game was still too far. (Left-right combination to be persisted?) Whatever works for the team, we’ll take the call.
Home