Pune, January 10: Indian cricket team displayed yet another clinical show as they defeated Sri Lanka by 78 runs in the third Twenty20 International at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday (January 10) and with this win, the hosts claimed the series 2-0.
India posted a mammoth 201/6 in stipulated 20 overs after Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga won the toss and invited his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli to bat first.
KL Rahul (54) and Shikhar Dhawan (52) slammed half-centuries and gave India a sensational start. Later Kohli, Shardul Thakur and Manish Pandey played brilliant cameos, in the end, to guide their team to a respectable total on a batting-friendly track.
Later, pacers Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah showed their class with the ball and bundled the tourists out for 123 in 15.5 overs.
India won the second T20 in Indore on Tuesday by a margin of 5 wickets. The first T20I in Guwahati was washed out without a ball being bowled.
Here's how the 3rd T20I panned out:
Virat Kohli | Winning skipper: A good start to this year. We started on the right track, chasing one game and setting the other. Very clinical as well, so I am very happy. Just the confidence of getting that 200 mark will help us. The middle collapse was challenging but what Manish and Shardul did in the end really helped. We saw guys who turned up and who put their hands up when the senior guys don't perform and need more of this in the coming games as well. We wanted to plug some of the gaps. I think today as well, we thought 180 at one stage and crossed 200. In Mumbai as well, we thought 200 and crossed 230. We don't want to be a team which is tentative while batting first, and we want to show the same attitude which we bring in chases while batting first as well. All three (Rohit, Dhawan and Rahul) are solid players, it all boils down to who is batting better. Rohit has been a consistent performer. People must stop pitting people against each other and I don't believe in doing that at all.
Navdeep Saini | Man of the Series: When I used to play with the red ball earlier, I used to find bowling with the white ball difficult. But now after practicing, I have been finding it easier and have been getting better. My seniors have been helping me as well as to how to bowl in different situations. Bowling fast comes naturally to me. I look after my gym, my diet and playing for India is a big deal. I have been playing with the red ball only for the last four-five years and before that I was playing with the tennis ball only.
Shardul Thakur | Man of the Match: I believe I have the ability with the bat and I have been practicing well. If I can contribute at number eight, it is always crucial for the team. With regards to my action, I can bowl outswingers, so the focus is to swing the ball early. I have spent quite some time in the team ever since I broke in in 2016. I get a homely feeling and don't feel left out, so credit to the captain and the management. I am preparing myself to bat when I am waiting outside and that takes pressure off me when I come in.
Shardul Thakur | Man of the Match: I believe I have the ability with the bat and I have been practicing well. If I can contribute at number eight, it is always crucial for the team. With regards to my action, I can bowl outswingers, so the focus is to swing the ball early. I have spent quite some time in the team ever since I broke in in 2016. I get a homely feeling and don't feel left out, so credit to the captain and the management. I am preparing myself to bat when I am waiting outside and that takes pressure off me when I come in.
Lasith Malinga | Losing skipper: I think in these kind of situations when the conditions were wet, we needed to control the ball better. They (India) got away in the last three overs. But our top-order batsmen got out quickly and Dhananjaya and Mathews showed us how easy it was to bat here. We need to learn how to handle these situations better. This is the talent we have in Sri Lanka and we have to back them and get the maximum out of them in the World Cup. All teams in the world are using wrist spinners, and we have good bowlers in Hasaranga and Sandakan. These are the two bowlers we are looking at going into the World Cup.
Wicket & INDIA WINS!! Malinga is the last SL wicket to perish as Saini gets his third wicket. India (201/6) beat Sri Lanka (123-10) by 78 runs. And Kohli & Team has won the series 2-0.
Wicket! Dhananjaya de Silva's (57) brilliant inning comes to an end as Jasprit Bumrah takes a fine catch in the deep. Saini gets another wicket. SL - 122/9 in 15.3 overs.
Wicket! Lakshan Sandakan (1) has been stumped by Sanju Samson and Washington Sundar gets another wicket. SL - 118/8 in 15 overs.
50!! Dhananjaya de Silva brings up his half-century off just 31 deliveries. He has been the lone bright spot in this Sri Lankan innings.
Excellent innings from Dhananjaya de Silva, but unfortunately there's hardly been any support from the other end. He scored 60% of his runs through the off-side at 10.73 runs per over playing only 5% false shots. #INDvSL
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) January 10, 2020
Run Out! Yuzvendra Chahal hits the bulls at non-striker's end and Wanindu Hasaranga departs for a duck. SL - 110/7 in 13.5 overs
Wicket! Soft-dismissal! Dasun Shanaka (9) gives a simple return catch to Shardul Thakur and walks back towards the dugout. SL - 110/6 in 13.3 overs.
Five T20I wickets for Shardul Thakur in his last 20 balls!#IndvSL #IndvsSL
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) January 10, 2020
SIX!! Dasun Shanaka hammers Chahal over long-on and the ball sails way back into the stands. Chahal is not in his elements tonight.
Four! Dhananjaya gets a boundary off Chahal and that brings up 100 for the Lankans in the run chase.
Wicket! Scintillating catch in the deep by Manish Pandey to dismiss set Angelo Matthews for 31. Washington Sundar finally gets a breakthrough and breaks the fifty partnership. SL - 94/5 in 11.2 overs.
such a true pitch. Runs aplenty. If Sri Lanka hadn't lost 4 wickets so early, this could have been a close contest. With Mathews too falling, can't see this happening now
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 10, 2020
After 10 overs, Sri Lanka reach 78/4. They need another 124 more runs off 60 deliveries. Matthews and de Silva are looking in fine touch now.
50-run partnership between Matthews and de Silva off 29 deliveries. Sri Lanka would want this partnership to flourish.
SIX, SIX!! Back-to-back maximums for Sri Lanka. 8.6 - SIX - Matthews hammers a maximum off Sundar. Sundar leaked 19 runs in that over. 9.1 - SIX - Dhananjaya de Silva hits Chahal for a maximum
SIX!! Angelo Matthews pulls and gets a maximum off Sundar. He's looking in fine touch tonight.
Four! Yuzvendra Chahal has been introduced into the attack by Kohli in the 8th over and gets welcomed by a boundary by de Silva.
Four! De Silva ends Saini's over with another boundary as 9 came from it despite a wicket perishing on the first delivery. SL - 35/4 in 6 overs.
Four! Dhananjaya de Silva hits a brilliant boundary off Saini to get off the mark in style.
Wicket! Another brilliant yorker from Navdeep Saini and he clean bowls Kusal Perera for 7. Sri Lanka - 26/4 in 5.1 overs.
11 runs came from that over bowled by Thakur. Sri Lanka - 26/3 in 5 overs.
Wicket! Manish Pandey runs out Oshada Fernando for 2. Bumrah bowls a maiden over. Sri Lanka - 15/3 in 4 overs.
Wicket! Avishka Fernando gives a simple catch to Shreyas at the point region after hitting Shardul Thakur for a maximum. He departs for 9. SL - 11/2 in 1.3 overs.
Wicket! Jasprit Bumrah strikes in the first over as he gets rid of Danushka Gunathilaka for 1. The batsman gives a simple catch to Sundar at mid-on. SL-5/1 after 1st over.
2nd innings! Sri Lanka openers Avishka Fernando and Danushka Gunathilaka are into the middle to start their run chase. Jasprit Bumrah starts with the new ball for India.
End of the Innings! India post 201/6 in 20 overs. 19 runs came from the final over for India.
SIX!! Shardul hammers Lahiru Kumara over long-off for his second maximum of the innings. India reach 190.
India reach 182/6 in 19 overs.