Sri Lanka completes the turnaround by humbling Team India in the third T20I and claims the series 2-1. It was a splendid performance from the Lankan bowlers, who were on top of their game right from the get-go. The batsmen then chased down India’s paltry total with over five overs to spare.
Opting to bat first goes horribly wrong for India
On the rare occasion of India winning the toss, Shikhar Dhawan decided to bat first. It backfired spectacularly. Dhawan was dismissed by Dushmantha Chameera in the very first over, It set the precedent for the rest of the innings. Apart from Ruturaj Gaikwad, the specialist batsmen failed to deliver. India was reeling at 36/5 around the eight-over mark.
India was in danger of being blown away for their lowest total in T20I history. However, senior player Bhuvneshwar Kumar combined with Kuldeep Yadav to build a face-saving partnership. There was no real intention to hit boundaries but rather play out the twenty overs. They did manage to do it successfully, eventually crawling to 81/8 in their twenty overs. Kuldeep ended as the top-scorer with 23 while Bhuvneshwar chipped in with 16. Birthday-boy Wanindu Hasaranga picked up stellar figures of 4/9 from his overs.
What a spell from the birthday boy, Wanindu Hasaranga! š
Champion! š#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/hzmhbjmGIN
— Sri Lanka Cricket š±š° (@OfficialSLC) July 29, 2021
Rahul Chahar spins a web around the Lankan batsmen
With next to nothing on the scoreboard, India had to pick up wickets in clusters. There was spin on offer and Rahul Chahar gave India a glimpse of hope. He snared Avishka Fernando’s wicket with a beautiful return catch, before knocking over Bhanuka and Samarawickrama. He ended with figures of 3/15, the only shining light in a messy game.
Dhananjaya de Silva and Wanindu Hasaranga see the Lankans through
There were a few nervous looks in the Lankan camp but Dhananjaya de Silva stayed through to anchor the chase. Hasaranga played a quickfire 14 off 9 balls to add to his earlier effort with the ball. Eventually, Sri Lanka stormed past the total of India by 7 wickets with over 30 balls to spare to clinch the third T20I. It comes as a welcome series victory for Sri Lanka after going through multiple off-field issues.
What a brilliant VICTORY! šļø
š±š° seal the T20I series 2ļøā£-1ļøā£ š#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/jkdWNpgtzJ
— Sri Lanka Cricket š±š° (@OfficialSLC) July 29, 2021
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