Following a breathtaking Twenty20 International (T20I) win in the just-concluded three-match series against Australia Down Under, India secured the No. 1 spot in the ICC T20I team rankings. They returned home for a short three-match T20I series against neighbours Sri Lanka, and in what was expected to be an easy win for India in the series, the hosts suffered a setback after being drubbed by five wickets in the opening tie at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Tuesday. Although all is not lost for India, they will definitely look to bounce back in the following couple of games. However, this game did not miss out on a few of the classic highlights, as Ayush Gupta elaborates the epic moments form this thrilling tie. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs Sri Lanka 2015-16, 1st T20I at Pune
Kasun Rajitha’s three-wicket haul debut: A rookie and a debutant, set to make an impact right from the opening game, succeeded in doing exactly that as he struck twice in the very opening over of the game, claiming the all-important wickets of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane for 0 and 4 respectively; as he later also went on to claim the wicket of other opener Shikhar Dhawan for 9. Rajitha finished with 3 for 29, one of the finest efforts in T20I cricket by a Sri Lankan, as he claimed the Man of the Match award.
Dasun Shanaka’s 3 for 16: Shanaka conceded a mere 16, and dismissed Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya for 20, 2 and 2 respectively. Being his only second T20I game, he did not ball in his previous game, and came as a tornado to the Indian batsmen in this tie, who had no clue on his bowling style, as they were ousted easily by the young lad. Full Cricket Updates: India vs Sri Lanka 2015-16, 1st T20I at Pune
Ravichandran Ashwin’s fightback innings of 31: As the Indian batting order continued to crumble against some deadly bowling from Sri Lankan bowlers, off-spinner Ashwin who showed some gumption and took responsibility to steer the Indian innings to a competitive total. He top-scored with 31 not out and helped India get past the 100-run mark. His innings included 5 boundaries; with a strike rate of 129.2 he was clearly the unexpected star of the Indian batting line-up in this tie.
Dinesh Chandimal’s patient 35: Although the game was a low-scoring tie, the chase on the green-top was not going to be easy. The Sri Lankans seemed shaky at the start. However, the psychological advantage played in, and skipper Chandimal played a decent and presumably the match-winning knock of 35, which helped Sri Lanka chase the total down comfortably. His innings included a boundary and a couple of huge sixes. His strike rate read 100.
Ashwin’s fightback spell of 2 for 13: Not just the batting, Ashwin also played his part with the ball, as he seemed to be the only guy in the Indian side to be fighting it out until the end, owing to his immense talent. He bowled a three-over spell, claiming a the wickets of Chamara Kapugedara (25) and Milinda Siriwardana (3). However, the total being too low, he could not turn the game around in favour of the Indians. Nevertheless, he did play his part more than well enough.
Suresh Raina’s spectatular catch to dismiss Siriwardana: In one of the rarest cricketing and fielding moments in Indian cricket, it came up in this tie, when one of the most charismatic fielders in the Indian side, Raina claimed a sensational catch at the square-leg to get rid of Siriwardana. The catch was indeed one of the highlights of the game: Siriwardana swept hard off a straight delivery from Ashwin, and the ball seemed to be travelling like a bullet. However, Raina grabbed the ball showing incredible reflex, leaping in the air, holding the ball with both hands diving to his right, making it one of the classic catches in Indian cricket. However, the catch would have been acclaimed more, had India finished on the winning side.
(Ayush Gupta is a reporter at CricketCountry. A passionate supporter of Manchester United, he idolises Roger Federer and is also a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) maniac. He can be followed on Twitter @Ayush24x7)
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