Indore | Jagran Sports Desk: The Indian cricket team on Tuesday defeated Sri Lanka by seven-wickets and took a lead of 1-0 in the three-match T20I series. Now the two teams would face each other at the final T20I at the MCA stadium in Pune on January 10.
After winning the toss, Indian skipper Virat Kohli elected to field first on a pitch that looked suitable for batting. However, a disciplined Indian attack proved too good for the struggling Sri Lankans, reducing the visitors to a below-par 142 for nine in the game.
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On a good batting surface, the inexperienced Sri Lanka batsmen squandered promising starts. Their job was made harder by Navdeep Saini (2/18), Shardul Thakur (3/23) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/38), who shared seven wickets among themselves.
Jasprit Bumrah, who returned to international cricket after a gap of four months, did not look at his best, ending with figures of one for 32 in four overs. Bumrah, in a rare occasion, conceded three boundaries in the last over.
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However, a total of 142 was never going to be tough for the Men in Blue to chase. The Indian openers, especially KL Rahul, batted brilliantly and gave the Men in Blue a superb start. KL Rahul was particulary looking good and showed his class in the match. The Karnataka opener was, however, dismissed for 45 after he misjudged a bowl from Wanindu Hasaranga.
Shikhar Dhawan, who along with Jasprit Bumrah made a comeback, failed to impress. The Delhi batsman looked struggling and was finally dismissed for 32 by Hasaranga.
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However, Virat Kohli (30 not out off 17) and Shreyas Iyer (34 off 26), who batted ahead of the skipper at number three, fired India home in 17.3 overs. Iyer, though, fell just before India crossed the finishing line as Kohli finished things with a spectacular six over deep fine leg.
The two teams would now face each other at the MCA stadium in Pune on January 10.
Posted By: Aalok Sensharma
