By Srian Obeyesekere
Sri Lanka’s brittle batting failure continued to haunt the side which was best illustrated by the fact that the hosts chasing 214 for victory crashed from a highly winning position of 140 for 2 after 14.1 overs to 170 all out in the next 5.1 overs, once again raising suitability questions in its line-up as skipper Charith Asalanka and the much pursued Dasun Shanaka fell for ducks, Kamindu Mends for 12 and Wanindu Hasaranga 2 in not maximising the splendid start by openers Pathum Nissanka 79 and Kusal Mendis 45 in handing a new look India a 43-run win in the first of the 3-match series at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium last night.
Going into the home series with a new captain Charith Asalanka following Wanindu Hasaranga giving up the job, it was a disastrous start against a largely new look Indian side following the retirement of star performers Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajay Jadeja following India’s recent world cup success, and with the deadly fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah rested.
With the next best score of 20 by the recalled Kusal Janith Perera, the failure of the top batsmen tasked with the job of delivering was exposed as never before in not maximising a run leash given on a platter by the openers.
By and large the rest of the top batsmen threw out of the window the grand work by Pathum Nissanka whose cameo 48-ball innings sparkled in 4 sixes and 7 boundaries, and Kusal Mendis’ 27-ball knock consuming 7 boundaries and a six . That the hosts failed to go the distance and were bowled out in 19.2 overs only further exposed the bad display by the rest of the recognised batsmen with the last nine wickets crashing for just 30 runs in 5.1 overs.
India, comparatively, in as similar new waves under new skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s Player of the Match gung-ho of a cameo 58 off 26 with 8 boundaries and 2 sixes, boxed on as usual not a mite undone by the absence of its retired stars after the new opening pairing of Yashaswi Jaiswal 40 off 21 balls with 5 boundaries and Shubman Gill 34 off 16 with 6 boundaries and a six fired 74 runs in the six powerplay overs with middle man Rishab Pant smashing 49 off 33 as the Lankan pace trio of Madushanka, Asitha Fernando and Maheesh Theekshana were thrashed for 136 runs in 11 overs with only Matheesha Pathirana returning a tidy 4 for 40.
CHIEF SCORES:
India: 213/7 (20 Overs) (Yashasvi Jaiswal 40, Shubman Gill 34, Suryakumar Yadav 58, Rishabh Pant 49, Matheesha Pathirana 4/40, Wanindu Hasaranga 1/28, Dilshan Madushanka 1 for 45, Asitha Fernando 1 for 47)
Sri Lanka: 170 (19.2 Overs) (Pathum Nissanka 79, Kusal Mendis 45, Kusal Perera 20, Kamindu Mendis 12, Arshdeep Singh 2 for 24, Axar Patel 2 for 38, Riyan Parag 3 for 5)
Sri Lanka’s brittle batting exposed again crashing from 140 start as new look India win first T20 by 43
By Srian Obeyesekere
Sri Lanka’s brittle batting failure continued to haunt the side which was best illustrated by the fact that the hosts chasing 214 for victory crashed from a highly winning position of 140 for 2 after 14.1 overs to 170 all out in the next 5.1 overs, once again raising suitability questions in its line-up as skipper Charith Asalanka and the much pursued Dasun Shanaka fell for ducks, Kamindu Mends for 12 and Wanindu Hasaranga 2 in not maximising the splendid start by openers Pathum Nissanka 79 and Kusal Mendis 45 in handing a new look India a 43-run win in the first of the 3-match series at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium last night.
Going into the home series with a new captain Charith Asalanka following Wanindu Hasaranga giving up the job, it was a disastrous start against a largely new look Indian side following the retirement of star performers Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajay Jadeja following India’s recent world cup success, and with the deadly fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah rested.
With the next best score of 20 by the recalled Kusal Janith Perera, the failure of the top batsmen tasked with the job of delivering was exposed as never before in not maximising a run leash given on a platter by the openers.
By and large the rest of the top batsmen threw out of the window the grand work by Pathum Nissanka whose cameo 48-ball innings sparkled in 4 sixes and 7 boundaries, and Kusal Mendis’ 27-ball knock consuming 7 boundaries and a six . That the hosts failed to go the distance and were bowled out in 19.2 overs only further exposed the bad display by the rest of the recognised batsmen with the last nine wickets crashing for just 30 runs in 5.1 overs.
India, comparatively, in as similar new waves under new skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s Player of the Match gung-ho of a cameo 58 off 26 with 8 boundaries and 2 sixes, boxed on as usual not a mite undone by the absence of its retired stars after the new opening pairing of Yashaswi Jaiswal 40 off 21 balls with 5 boundaries and Shubman Gill 34 off 16 with 6 boundaries and a six fired 74 runs in the six powerplay overs with middle man Rishab Pant smashing 49 off 33 as the Lankan pace trio of Madushanka, Asitha Fernando and Maheesh Theekshana were thrashed for 136 runs in 11 overs with only Matheesha Pathirana returning a tidy 4 for 40.
CHIEF SCORES:
India: 213/7 (20 Overs) (Yashasvi Jaiswal 40, Shubman Gill 34, Suryakumar Yadav 58, Rishabh Pant 49, Matheesha Pathirana 4/40, Wanindu Hasaranga 1/28, Dilshan Madushanka 1 for 45, Asitha Fernando 1 for 47)
Sri Lanka: 170 (19.2 Overs) (Pathum Nissanka 79, Kusal Mendis 45, Kusal Perera 20, Kamindu Mendis 12, Arshdeep Singh 2 for 24, Axar Patel 2 for 38, Riyan Parag 3 for 5)
