Shikhar Dhawan continued his impressive run of form with a disciplined 46 not out, while Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane played their parts in the chase, as India thrashed Sri Lanka by 9 wickets to win the series 2-1 in the third and deciding Twenty20 International (T20I) at Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Shockingly, it was India’s first-ever bilateral T20I series win at home where a minimum of two matches were played. India’s victory was set up by Ravichandran Ashwin, who took 4 for 8 to end with the best bowling analysis by an Indian in T20I cricket. Ashwin struck three times in his first seven balls to leave Sri Lanka reeling. The visitors never recovered from those early jolts and ended up getting bowled out for a mere 82. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs Sri Lanka 2015-16, 1st T20I at Visakhapatnam
Dhawan and Rohit approached the minuscule 83-run chase chase with caution, which was a far cry from Sri Lanka’s slam-bang approach which saw the visitors losing their first five wickets for just 21. Dhawan and Rohit punished the loose deliveries, but by and large took their time to get the required runs. Rohit was out LBW to the impressive Dushmantha Chameera for a run-a-ball 13. However, Dhawan and Rahane ensured that India suffered no further blows with some measured batting. Dhawan hit a six and four to end the match in style as India retained their top spot in the ICC T20I rankings. Full Cricket Blog and Updates: India vs Sri Lanka 2015-16, 2nd T20I at Ranchi
Earlier, Ashwin took 4 for 8 as India cleaned out Sri Lanka for just 82. The visitors could only muster 82 in the must-win third encounter as the Ashwin-led Indian bowling never let them get going. Ashwin took out both openers, Niroshan Dickwella and Tillakaratne Dilshan, in his first over before getting Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal off the first ball of his second over. He finished off with the wicket of Asela Gunaratne, as he took out the top four Sri Lankan batsmen early to leave the visitors reeling at 20 for 4 by the fifth over. Ashwin finished with 4 for 8 in his four overs, the best-ever figures by an Indian in T20Is. READ: Ravichandran Ashwin’s 4 for 8 in 4 overs the best spell by an Indian in T20Is
Ashish Nehra was soon a part of the action, getting Milinda Siriwardana clean bowled for 4. Sri Lanka were 21 for 5 by now, without a recovery in sight. Dasun Shanaka and Seekkuge Prasanna then put up 27 for the sixth wicket — which included 13 runs off 1 legitimate Yuvraj Singh delivery — but their partnership was cut short by a piece of brilliance from Ravindraj Jadeja. Fielding at mid off, Jadeja back-handed a flick onto the stumps to affect a direct hit as Prasanna was caught short of the crease. READ: Ravichandran Ashwin takes 4 early wickets in India vs Sri Lanka 2015-16, 3rd T20I at Visakhapatnam
At 48 for 6 it was just a matter of time before Sri Lanka would be bowled out. Shanaka was bowled by Jadeja for 19, the highest score of the innings, to leave Sri Lanka at 54 for 7. Sachithra Senanayake was the next to go, edging Suresh Raina behind to MS Dhoni. Replays were inconclusive, but it seemed to be a harsh call against Senanayake. Thisara Perera — the only other batsman to touch double figures — hit 12 before holing out off Raina to Jadeja. Jasprit Bumrah then bowled Dilhara Fernando with one of his typical yorkers as Sri Lanka were shot out for a mere 82, their lowest ever score in T20Is.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 82 in 18 overs (Dasun Shanaka 19, Thisara Perera 12; Ravichandran Ashwin 4 for 8) lost to India 84 for 1 in 13.5 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 46*; Dushmantha Chameera 1 for 14) by 9 wickets.
Man of the Match: Ravichandran Ashwin
Man of the Series: Ravichandran Ashwin
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)
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