IND vs SL 2021: Cricket fraternity thanks India for completing Sri Lanka tour amid COVID-19 distress

Sri Lanka thumped India by seven wickets in the third tie to win the three-match T20I series 2-1 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday. Batting first, the Men in Blue managed only 81 runs in their innings, which was easily chased down by the hosts with 33 balls to spare.

India were down by nine players in the last two matches of the series due to COVID-19 restrictions. After all-rounder Krunal Pandya tested positive for the deadly virus and BCCI's medical team identified eight more cricketers who came into close contact with the all-rounder and also advised them of strict isolation.

The BCCI decided to add standby cricketers to the main squad and complete the series, a move which earned accolades from the cricket fraternity.

Wanindu Hasaranga stars as Sri Lanka thrash India

Sri Lanka dominated the series decider right from the start. India paid the price for opting to bat first on a difficult wicket as they only managed to post 81 runs in their 20 overs. Only three batsmen managed to touch the double-digit mark with Kuldeep Yadav registering the highest score of 23 runs, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar contributed 16 runs.

Wanindu Hasaranga was the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of 4/9 in his four overs after Dusmanth Chameera removed Shikhar Dhawan in the first over. Captain Dasun Shanaka supported him well, picking up two wickets and chipping in with two outstanding catches.

Rahul Chahar tried to put India back on track in the second innings but they didn't have the runs in the bag. Dhananjaya de Silva once again steered the run chase with an unbeaten 23 after Minod Bhanuka gave a brisk start as Sri Lanka pulled off a series win against India after 19 years.

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Ankush is a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda covering news, listicles, features, and exclusives. A graduate in Commerce and an accountant by qualification, Ankush followed his true calling for sports journalism, and today, has over 8 years of experience having working for the likes of Sportzwiki and Cricfit. Ankush places a very high emphasis on factual accuracy in his articles and believes in representing the true image of the story. Writing in the simplest and most easy-to-understand language possible, especially for those not well-versed with English, is one of his strengths.

Ankush, who captained his state in the National School games, is a big fan of Ravichandran Ashwin. He admires his unconventional thinking and his eagerness to keep learning despite being a legend of the game. His favorite cricket team is Australia because of their mentality and fighting spirit, and them beating India in the 2003 World Cup final left a lasting impression on him.

Apart from watching and covering cricket, Ankush also likes to read books whenever possible.

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