The three-match T20I series between India and Sri Lanka finally began on 25 July 2021 at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. The match saw intense action from the very first ball after Prithvi Shaw got dismissed on duck. Notably, Prithvi Shaw’s had a very disappointing start to his T20I career getting out on duck on debut. However, with Suryakumar Yadav’s amazing fifty and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s amazing spell, India won the match by 38 runs.
After Prithvi Shaw got out on the very first ball, Shikhar Dhawan and Sanju Samson carried forward the innings for India. Skipper Dhawan got out after scoring 46 runs for the team. Also, Sanju Samson was dismissed by Hasaranga on the score of 27. However, Suryakumar Yadav once again batted brilliantly and scored a half-century.
#TeamIndia win the 1st #SLvIND T20I by 38 runs 💪
We go 1-0 in the series 🙌 pic.twitter.com/9FfFbx2TTZ
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 25, 2021
In the meantime, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, and Krunal Pandya contributed 20, 10, and 3 runs respectively. Fans were disappointed after yet another failure of Hardik Pandya with the bat. Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga picked two wickets each for Sri Lanka.
India go 1-0 up in the T20I series
While Chasing Sri Lanka didn’t have a great start as the opening pair failed in the 1st T20I against India. Minod Bhanuka was dismissed at the score of 10 by Krunal Pandya. However, Avishka Fernando once again got a good start and scored 26 crucial runs. Also, Dhananjaya de Silva and Ashen Bandara scored 9 runs each.
Meanwhile, Charith Asalanka played an exceptional knock of 44 runs. However, Asalanka eventually lost his wicket to Deepak Chahar in 16th over. Soon Wanindu Hasaranga got dismissed on duck in the same over. After that Sri Lankan batting faced a major collapse and they kept losing wickets one after another.
From the Indian bowling unit, Yuzvendra Chahal picked one wicket and gave 19 runs in his 4 overs spell. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled 4 overs and picked 4 wickets. Deepak Chahar bowled an amazing spell and picked 2 wickets. Also, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, and Varun Chakravarthy bagged one scalp each. Notably, all the Indian bowlers picked at least one wicket in the match. Eventually, India won the one-sided clash against Sri Lanka by 38 runs.
India 1-0 up with a convincing win. For SL young Asalanka looked promising. Surya Kumar Yadav's 50(34) was a top knock on this wicket. Chahal and Bhuvi were wonderful with the ball. #SLvsIND pic.twitter.com/iz5bIhGNJ3
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) July 25, 2021
Here is what Shikhar Dhawan, Dasun Shanka, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar said in the post-match presentation:
Shikhar Dhawan: I thought we were 10-15 runs short. I feel we played quite well after losing early wickets. It was about one or two boundaries, we knew we could get going. He(SKY) is a great player and we enjoy watching him bat. He took the pressure from me and the way he plays calculated shots was amazing to watch. They were playing well, we knew our spinners will do the job on that wicket. Bhuvi bowled well, so was KP. Everyone stood up and even Varun too playing his first match did well giving a few runs and got the wicket. Prithvi is playing well and he is going to bounce back stronger. He’s (Varun) difficult to pick, I am very happy for him.
Dasun Shanaka: 164 was chaseable on this wicket. Bowlers upfront started well but our batsmen faltered. Asalanka and Bandara’s wicket was the turning point for us. I thought our bowlers did an amazing job on this wicket. hope boys come out and deliver for us. I am proud of the debutants today.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: I executed what I wanted to and I am satisfied. I played ODIs after a long time but execution is really important for me. The wicket was difficult to bat against the spinners.
