On Tuesday, India and Sri Lanka faced off in the first match of a three-game T20 series. India put in a strong performance, ultimately securing a narrow victory by just two runs. The win was driven in part by the efforts of debutant Shivam Mavi and Umran Malik, who took four and two wickets, respectively. India batted first and scored 162 runs for five wickets in the 20 allotted overs, with notable contributions coming from Deepak Hooda, Akshar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Ishan Kishan.
Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, comprising Dilshan, Mahish Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Dhanunja D’Silva, and Vanindu Hasaranga, took a total of five wickets. Despite their efforts, however, Sri Lanka ultimately fell short of their target, ending their innings with 160 runs for the loss of 10 wickets.
In its chase of the 163-run target, Sri Lanka fell short and was all out for 160 runs in the 20 allotted overs. Dasan Shanaka (45 off 27 balls, including three fours and three sixes) and Chamika Karunaratne (23 not out, including two sixes off 16 balls) fought hard, but were unable to secure the win. In addition to Mavi’s four wickets, Malik and Harshal Patel each took two wickets for India.
Sri Lanka’s run chase got off to a poor start when opener Pathum Nissanka was clean bowled by Mavi in the first over. Things went from bad to worse in the following over when Dhanunja dismissed D’Silva, leaving Sri Lanka with just 35 runs on the board and two wickets down in the power play. Despite hitting a few boundaries, Kushal Mendis was unable to keep Sri Lanka’s run rate on track, and after the power play, Charit Asalanka was caught by the keeper off Malik. Harshal Patel then dismissed Bhanuka Rajapaksa, leaving Sri Lanka in dire straits with five wickets down and a total of only 68 runs on the board.
Captain Shanaka and Hasaranga tried to steady the ship, but their partnership of 40 runs was broken up by Mavi. Hasaranga was dismissed by Vanindu, and then Shanaka was bowled by Malik. From there, India took control of the match. Mavi dismissed Mahish Thikshan, and Karunaratne (14) made things interesting with a six. With 13 runs needed in the final over to win, Hardik handed the ball to Akshar Patel. Karunaratne hit a six off the third ball, causing some tension in the Indian camp. However, Patel was able to hold on and complete the victory by bowling the final three balls.
