New Delhi: India registered a comprehensive 43-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first T20I match of the three-game series in Pallekele on Saturday. The Gautam Gambhir era as the new head coach of the side started on a positive note as the Men in Blue produced an all-round effort to brush aside the hosts.
Put into bat first, India rode on a dominant show by the batters to score a mammoth 213 runs in the stipulated 20 overs. The visitors began the tough chase on a positive note and looked firm in the innings for the first nine overs of the match where India failed to take any wickets. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis stitched 84 runs for the opening wicket till pacer Arshdeep Singh dismissed Mendis for 45.
SL lose track in chase after two blows
Nisanka continued the attack with a powerful 79-run knock but Axar Patel came to the visiting team’s rescue to clean him up in the 15th over. After losing the opening two batters, the hosts lost the plot in the chase and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis scored 20 and 12 runs respectively but none of the other batters could really show any courage as the side bundled out for 170 runs in 19.2 overs. For India, Riyan Parag proved to be the star with 3 wickets while Arshdeep and Axar picked 2 wickets each.
Indian batters showcase class
Earlier, the visitors posted 213 for seven against Sri Lanka riding on exceptional performance by the batters. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (40 off 21 balls) and Shubman Gill (34 off 16 balls) put on 74 runs in just six overs giving the visiting side a perfect start while new skipper Suryakumar Yadav led from the front with a 26-ball 58 after Jaiswal and Gill’s dismissal.
Rishabh Pant (49 off 33) too got into the groove to help cross the 200-run mark but unfortunately missed his half century by just a run. For Sri Lanka, Pacer Matheesha Pathirana was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka, returning figures of 4/40 in four overs on a day when Sri Lanka dropped a few catches. Dilshan Madushanka, Asitha Fernando and W Hasaranga also contributed with a wicket each. Both the teams lock horns in the second match on Sunday.
India beat Sri Lanka by 43 runs in the first T20I match to take a 1-0 lead in the three-game series. Both the teams lock horns in the second match on Sunday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
