Under the newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav, India has earned their maiden T20I series win as they got the better of Sri Lanka in the first two 20-over games at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, in Kandy. The latter played great knocks on both occasions, as they quite comfortably got over the line.
In the very first game of the series, India started quite brilliantly as the opening duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill gave them a very strong platform with 74 runs in the powerplay overs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav notched up a 58-run knock in 26 balls, shouldering on eight boundaries and a couple of sixes, with a strike rate of 223.08.
Rishabh Pant too made a huge contribution with his knock of 49 runs in 33 balls with the help of six boundaries and one six, at a strike rate of 148.48, as the two-times champion reached 213/7 in their 20 overs.
Suryakumar Yadav shoulders responsibility with two strong knocks
The bowling of the Indian team wasn’t up to the mark at the start, as the opening stand of Sri Lanka between Pathum Nissanka and Kushal Mendis too took them off to a flier, as they managed 84 runs for the first wicket in 8.4 overs. The second wicket stand was of 56 runs in around six overs.
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But the blue brigade made a great comeback towards the end of the innings, as they kept it tight with their line and length and hardly allowed the new batters to free their arms. Arshdeep Singh bowled beautifully for his figure of 2/24, while Mohammad Siraj ended with 1/23 in three overs.
Riyan Parag came to bowl the 17th and 20th over of the game to record 3/5 in his 1.2 overs, as the visitors bagged the first game by 43 runs.
On the following day at the same ground, the home side was invited to bat first as Suryakumar Yadav mentioned the inclement weather during the toss. The left-handed aggressive batter Kushal Perera blasted a 53-run knock in 34 balls, but the middle order failed again. From a comfortable position of 130/2 in 15 overs, Sri Lanka could reach 161/9 in their 20 overs. They lost their last seven wickets for 31 runs in the last five overs.
With rain putting its presence in the game, India was given a stiff chase of 78 runs in eight overs. Jaiswal again took the pressure off with his 30-run knock in 15 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav too smacked 26 runs in just 12 balls. Their seven-wicket victory sealed the series for them, with a game to go.
Later, at the end of the night, the Indian captain was seen having a lengthy and intense chat with the head coach Gautam Gambhir. However, there was no audio available of the interaction to clarify the topic they were discussing. It could be about the players they would look to give a chance in the final game.
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Coming into the post-match presentation, the 33-year-old looked pleasant watching his team’s aggressive approach and the new template.
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‘We spoke about this before this tournament – what brand of cricket we want to play. Even if it’s a shorter target or whatever target we are chasing, this is the template which we would like to go ahead with. The way the boys batted; it was wonderful.’ Suryakumar Yadav reflected at the end of the second T20I game.
The third and final game of the series will be played on July 30, at the same ground. After that, the ODI leg will begin on August 02, at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.