IND vs SL 2021: India playing XI's report card for the 3rd T20I

Ravaged by absentees and key players' lack of form, India fell to a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the decider of the three-match T20I series at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday, July 29.

After captain Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and curiously elected to bat first, India collapsed to a dismal 81/8 in their 20 overs as Wanindu Hasaranga picked up four wickets on his birthday. Sri Lanka were never in trouble in the chase, getting over the line in the 15th over with seven wickets to spare.

Here is the Indian playing XI's report card for the third T20I against Sri Lanka.

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IND vs SL 2021, 3rd T20I: India Player Ratings

OUT! ☝️A fine caught & bowled, courtesy @rdchahar1! 👏 👏 #TeamIndia #SLvIND Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/E8MEONwPlh pic.twitter.com/HNXP86JaKR

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 29, 2021

Ruturaj Gaikwad: 3/10

Gaikwad hit half of the boundaries India did in their entire innings, but the fact that the number was two says everything. He walked back for 14 off 10 after being completely bamboozled by Wanindu Hasaranga.

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Shikhar Dhawan: 0.5/10

India's captain needed to come up with a substantial innings for his team to stand a chance, but he bagged a first-baller in Colombo. Right from his decision at the toss to his bowling changes, nothing went right for Dhawan.

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Devdutt Padikkal: 2/10

Padikkal scratched his way to 9 off 15 balls before a run-out brought about his downfall in the fourth over. Incidentally, he had been caught plumb in front, and a review would've sent him back anyway. He will be ruing missing out on a golden opportunity to make a name for himself.

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Sanju Samson: 1/10

Samson's disappointing series came to a merciful end in the third T20I. He was trapped on the backfoot by a regulation leg-break for a three-ball duck and had just 34 runs from three innings in the series. He shelled a tough chance behind the stumps as well.

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Nitish Rana: 2/10

Rana's three outings for India - two T20Is and one ODI - have indicated that he arguably isn't ready for the international stage right now. The southpaw scored 6 off 15 balls before a brilliant return catch from Dasun Shanaka sent him packing.

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Kuldeep Yadav: 7/10

Brought into attack very late, Kuldeep bowled two overs for 16 runs. The series was a great chance for him to make a comeback into the first-choice white-ball side, but he may not be too happy at the end of it. He was India's top scorer in the first innings with a 28-ball 23.

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Sandeep Warrier: 4.5/10

Warrier bowled three overs on debut, but he didn't have much to play with - from the team's score as well as the pitch. He conceded 23 runs in those overs.

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Chetan Sakariya: 5.5/10

Sakariya scored five runs in the first innings and didn't get to bowl. While he couldn't really make an impact, he will be happy with the fact that he has played three games for the country.

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Varun Chakravarthy: 6/10

Chakravarthy went wicketless in a game in which India desperately needed him to provide a few breakthroughs. While it wasn't the best series for the 29-year-old, he showed glimpses of the effectiveness of his bowling.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 6.5/10

At the start of the series, Bhuvneshwar wouldn't have expected to be batting in the powerplay. But that's just what happened in the third T20I. He scored 16 runs before sending down two powerplay overs for nine runs.

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Rahul Chahar: 9/10

The pick of the Indian bowlers, Chahar picked up three wickets in an extremely threatening spell of leg-spin bowling. He took major strides towards sealing a T20 World Cup spot with his superb variations and consistency.

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