Mirpur, Mar 1: Riding on Virat Kohli's unbeaten half-century and brilliant captaincy from skipper MS Dhoni, Team India defeated Sri Lanka by five-wickets to storm into the final of the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament.

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It was Men In Blue's third successive victory in the tournament, clinching a berth for the summit clash as they now stand on the cusp of their sixth continental championship trophy. The final is on March 6 (Sunday).

Virat Kohli's unbeaten knock of 56 runs, Yuvraj Singh's 36 off just 18 deliveries, MS Dhoni's 200th International six as a captain and Sri Lanka's poor batting, were some of the key highlights of India's 3rd consecutive victory in the Asia Cup T20.

Here are the statistical highlights of the India-Sri Lanka game:

Skipper MS Dhoni's unique milestone:

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni (35 catches + 17 stumpings in 61 matches) became the second wicketkeeper after Pakistan's Kamran Akmal to effect 50 dismissals or more in all three formats of International cricket - Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

• MSD became the first player to complete 200 sixes as captain in 315 innings in International cricket - the next best being 171 in 376 innings by Ricky Ponting.

(Asia Cup: MS Dhoni becomes 1st international skipper to hit 200 sixes)

• Dhoni's winning per cent of 58.47 as captain is quite impressive - 34 victories, 24 losses, one tied and one no-result match out of 60 matches in T20Is.
  
  

• Dhoni's strike rate of 244.44 in the tournament is superb - 22 runs off nine balls without being dismissed in three matches.

India enjoys an excellent record vs Sri Lanka

• Team India enjoys excellent winnig record against Lankans, winning six and losing four out of ten matches contested in T20Is - success per cent 60.00.

• India became the first side to register victories in all 3 matches in the present tournament - by 45 runs vs Bangladesh on February 24, by 5 wickets vs Pakistan on February 27 and by 5 wickets vs Sri Lanka on March 1.

India's winning hattrick against Sri Lanka:

• For the first time, India have won three matches in a row in T20Is against Sri Lanka - by 69 runs at Ranchi on Feb.12, 2016, by 9 wickets at Visakhapatam on Feb.14 and by 5 wickets at Dhaka on March 1.

Virat Kohli's superb form continues:

• Kohli's superb unbeaten 56 off 47 balls is his third fifty in as many innings vs Sri Lanka. # Kohli's aforesaid innings is his 13th fifty in T20Is. Just two players have recorded more fifty-plus innings than Kohli - Brendon McCullum (15) and Chris Gayle (14). (Virat Kohli is a 'more matured cricketer': MS Dhoni)

• Against Sri Lanka, Kohli enjoys brilliant record, averaging 100.50 in T20Is - the third highest by a batsman against a side next only to the 130.50 by New Zealand's Brendon McCullum vs India and Martin Guptill's 118.50 vs Zimbabwe (minimum 200 runs against a team).
  
  
  
  
  Virat Kohli's superb batting average of 93.16 in successful chases in T20Is is without parallel - his aggregate being 559 in twelve innings, including six fifties. (minimum 400 runs).

• In T20Is this year, Kohli is averaging 103.66 - his aggregate being 311 in six innings, including four fifties - the scores being 90 not out followed by 59 not out & 50 vs Australia, 7 vs Bangladesh, 49 vs Pakistan and 56 not out vs Sri Lanka.

Kohli equals Yuvraj's record:

• Kohli has received his seventh Man of the Match award in T20Is - his first vs Sri Lanka. Yuvraj Singh and Kohli share an Indian record for most MOM awards (seven) in T20Is.

Dilshan's lean patch continues:

• Tillakaratne Dilshan's performance this year is mediocre in T20Is, averaging 12.28 - his worst in a calendar year (minimum three matches). Since recording 52 vs West Indies at Colombo (RPS) on November 11, 2015, he has totalled just 86 runs in seven innings - the scores being 0, 28, 0, 1, 27, 12 & 18.

Opening batting a concern for Sri Lanka:

• Sri Lanka have managed 47 for the loss of three wickets in the first ten overs - their second lowest when batting first after ten overs. They had scored 43 for seven vs Australia in the ICC World Twenty20 at Cape Town on September 20, 2007.

• The average opening stand in the present Asia Cup since Feb 24 has been 13.28 - the aggregate being 186 in fourteen innings, with just one partnership of 50 - 68 between Dinesh Chandimal and Tillakaratne Dilshan for SL vs UAE at Dhaka on Feb. 25.

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