India will attempt to secure their World Cup 2023 crown when they face host Sri Lanka in their third and final T20I matchup, where Rohit Sharma’s side are heavily favoured to come out victorious.
Charith Asalanka saved Sri Lanka with his brilliant efforts at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium to level the series opening and tie the score 2-2. In this article, we will discuss the top matches of India vs Sri Lanka.
1. T20I
Indian bowlers dominated Sri Lankan batsmen during the second half of their chase to secure an outright victory and take an early 1-0 advantage in this three-match T20I series against India. Led by Dinesh Karthik, India reached 213 runs quickly for victory.
Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis got Sri Lanka off to a strong start when chasing 213. Both players played textbook cricket during the Powerplay stage, with an average run-rate hovering around 10 RPO at the Powerplay stage. Arshdeep however broke up their 84-run opening stand when he bowled Mendis with a knuckle ball ball from outside off in the ninth over, taking away their momentum in their chase of 213.
Shubman Gill then joined Yashasvi Jaiswal at the crease as India continued their chase towards victory. They both hit two boundaries each before Jaiswal was dismissed for 33 off 17 balls by Washington Sundar for one of his six Super Over deliveries; giving India an overwhelming edge going into their last over.
Shubman Gill scored off the opening ball of the final over, before India were eventually all out for 208 in 20 overs, even without Rohit Sharma playing due to resting his shoulder.
India’s new T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav will look to build on an already impressive start in international career and guide the team to victory against Sri Lanka in this series. Replacing Rohit Sharma with an accomplished squad that includes Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed and Mohammed Siraj as support players – the inaugural T20I will take place at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Friday 23rd July with Sony Sports Network broadcasting the match live and SonyLIV app streaming available streaming the match starting 7 PM India time so stay tuned for more updates!
2. ODI
Sri Lanka and India met again for a three-match ODI series and Sri Lanka won both games to take a commanding 2-0 advantage. India managed to tie game three, though Charith Asalanka bowled well for Sri Lanka by taking six wickets while Dunith Wellalage secured victory with his five wicket haul for his side.
Rohit Sharma once again stood out with the bat as he scored 87 runs – his fourth ODI century of this series! KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Shivam Dube also contributed significantly for India; however they fell victim to Sri Lankan spinners in the final overs and were bowled out for just 138.
Wellalage delivered a flighted conventional off-break around the middle and off stump lines to Sundar. He attempted to sweep it, but missed its line and ended up hitting over his front pad instead of outstripping its pace. Jeffrey Vandersay initially dropped it, but managed to cling onto it on second attempt.
Riyan Parag tries to break India free with a lightning 25-ball innings but was soon dismissed by Asalanka’s leggie bowling. With their opponents’ leggie causing crucial wickets to fall at key moments in their chase for victory, India went from being comfortable at 97/0 down to being reduced from an easy position 147/6 overs.
Asalanka delivers a tossed up delivery on the pads to Washington Sundar, who defends tightly. Sundar blocks full-length deliveries on leg side, short ones in middle and an offbreak that is pitched around leg-stump. He attempts to loft an over-long delivery but misses its target by miles.
Asalanka delivered a slow delivery to Sundar, who attempted to play across the pitch but instead top edged it into his off and middle stumps with disastrous consequences. Sundar attempted to play back into his innings via slog sweep but was caught at deep backward square leg. Axar Patel was brought in to replace Asalanka but soon was bowled by Asalanka with an Asalanka short delivery which hit him square on and with great pace and swing. India were left reeling at 148/6 at this stage. If Sri Lanka win this final over then they would seal victory 2-0 for themselves and seal their series victory as well. On Tuesday, the final ODI will take place between Sri Lanka and New Zealand at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo – their 176th meeting overall and their 172nd at this ground. Sri Lanka have found success playing there as their bowlers thrive there while New Zealand have had limited success winning only 99 out of 170 ODI matches there with 58 ending up as draws; therefore this game will be of vital significance for both teams involved.
3. Test
Sri Lanka was undone on this tour by their inability to adapt to spin bowling, scoring quickly when faced with pressure, and scoring quick runs when needed – two key aspects for any team competing against India. Yet they didn’t give in; rather they made a valiant fightback with Dunith Wellalage and Kamindu Mendis showing their tenacity with bat.
India were too good for Sri Lanka in the end; Kohli’s batting masterclass and Shreyas Iyer’s 92 ensured India dominated with bat and ball respectively; Bumrah and Shami took care of business behind the bowler. Sri Lanka’s only chance to avoid an innings defeat was posting a massive total and then countering with bat only to no avail – something which never really occurred.
After Sri Lanka lost the toss, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis came together at bat for Sri Lanka. Mohammed Siraj took control of Mohammed Siraj’s first over, sending down short deliveries which Nissanka missed and was caught at short third man by Mohammed Siraj; Mendis then hit a boundary off fifth ball to cross 50.
UltraEdge clearly displays Kuldeep’s inside edge, disproving any claims for LBW. Vandersay then bowled an off-pace delivery, which Kuldeep managed to defend before hitting two sixes over midwicket and long-on using lofted shots he exhibited with ease. Kuldeep then chipped a googly for two runs before working one to long-on for one more single.
Rohit Sharma then unleashed an astounding six off the fourth ball and continued with another four in two overs for India to reach 18/0 in two overs. Indian batsman Virat Kohli recorded an unprecedented century off only 118 balls, the fastest ever by an Indian in Test cricket history. This match between India and Sri Lanka marked 46 Test matches; India have won 22 while Sri Lanka have secured 7 victories. Out of 17 total matches played between India and Sri Lanka so far, 10 have resulted in draws. Now the two teams will meet up again for three One Day Internationals starting August 31 in Colombo, and both teams will compete on flat pitches to see who can claim victory and enhance their ODI rankings. Stay tuned for updates regarding this series on social media or follow us! We appreciate your support! CLICK HERE for the latest India vs Sri Lanka news. To know more about sports like football, cricket, kabaddi, polo and many more just follow us: https://sportsbyte.co.uk/
