Before the start of the T20I series, India were expected to win the whole series at a canter. However, what ensued after the first T20I in Pune showed that a weakened Sri Lankan side took the fight to India right from the very first ball to give the visitors a five-wicket win.
On what was a bowling paradise, the young Sri Lankan bowlers got the best out of the surface as they ran through the Indian batting lineup. India registered their third lowest T20I score as they ended their innings with only 101 runs on board.
Sri Lanka chased down the target with not much of a hassle as the middle-order ensured that the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
India:
Rohit Sharma – 1/10
Rohit Sharma, who had a brilliant series in Australia, got off to a terrible start in the home series as he got out to a second-ball duck.
Shikhar Dhawan – 4/10
Although the southpaw got a start, he was not able to build on it as he perished trying to take on the bowlers at a time when a partnership was much required. Dhawan latched onto two catches to help put some pressure on the Sri Lankan batting lineup.
Ajinkya Rahane – 2/10
With Virat Kohli missing out on the series against Sri Lanka, Rahane would have hoped to make the best of his chance in Pune. However, after hitting a sweetly timed boundary, Rahane got a leading edge and was caught brilliantly.
Suresh Raina – 5/10
Of all the batsmen in the top 5, Raina seemed like the best of the lot as he was able to time the ball well. But, the left-handed batsman missed a seaming delivery from debutant Dasun Shanaka and was cleaned up after scoring 20. He also picked up a wicket and caught a blinder.
Yuvraj Singh – 3/10
Yuvraj showed some promise at the start of his innings as he hit a six off the second ball he faced. The all-rounder misjudged the bounce of the ball and lost his wicket while trying to pull.
MS Dhoni – 1/10
Dhoni is known for his ability to build up a crumbling batting performance. However, the Indian captain was not able to come up with the goods as he fell prey to a short ball and was out for two runs.
Hardik Pandya – 3/10
Pandya, who considers himself as a batting all-rounder, could not prove it as he lost his wicket cheaply. With the ball, the 22-year-old was also not able to make much of an impact.
Ravindra Jadeja – 4/10
Jadeja tried to play the anchor role with the bat as he knocked the ball around and rotated the strike before he was wrapped in front of the wickets. The all-rounder was not able to create a lot of impression with the ball as gave away 6 runs an over.
Ravichandran Ashwin – 8.5/10
Ashwin at No. 9 usually tells how good a batting lineup is. The 29-year-old was the best batsman for India as he top-scored with a 24-ball 31 and took India to a score of above 100. Ashwin came into bowl in only the 12th over and picked up two wickets and gave India the slightest of hope to edge a win.
Jasprit Bumrah – 6/10
India's best bowler in a disappointing match as he picked up one wicket and gave away only 19 runs in his first over. His first over was a maiden as he completely bamboozled Sri Lankan opener Gunathilaka.
Ashish Nehra – 5.5/10
Nehra picked up two wickets, however, he did give away most number of runs for India in a match when India had to be very tight with the ball.
Sri Lanka:
Danushka Gunathilaka – 3/10
The left-handed batsman did not have a good outing as he dropped Suresh Raina when the batsman was yet to open his account. With the bat, Gunathilaka struggled early on and despite hitting a six off Nehra, lost his wicket to the Indian bowler trying to clear the in-field.
Niroshan Dickwella – 2/10
Debutant wicketkeeper, Dickwella showed his intention from the very start as he scored a boundary early on, but was out off the very next ball as he could not time his pull well enough.
Dinesh Chandimal – 8/10
The stand-in captain led from the front as he marshalled his young guns very well to give the visitors a brilliant victory. He finished the match as the highest top-scorer and caught a brilliant catch to dismiss Rahane.
Chamara Kapugedera – 7/10
Kapugedera came into bat when Sri Lanka seemed to be in a spot of bother. Despite struggling at first, the 28-year-old settled into the game and his 39-run partnership with his captain set Sri Lanka on course for a comfortable win.
Milinda Siriwardana – 7/10
The all-rounder played the role of a finisher to perfection and made sure that there were no hiccups in the chase as Sri Lanka won with two overs left. His 14-ball 21 helped Sri Lanka avoid an embarrassment.
Dasun Shanaka – 8/10
Shanaka is known more for his batting skills. However, he showed another dimension to his cricket as he bowled a brilliant spell to pick up three wickets in the form of Raina, Dhoni and Pandya.
Seekkuge Prasanna – 5.5/10
Prasanna bowled fairly well in his two overs as he gave away only 11 runs. He stayed with Siriwardana until the end to help his side to a five-wicket win.
Thisara Perera – 6/10
Perera opened the bowling along with Rajitha and put in a good bowling performance as he gave away only 10 runs in his three overs, with his first over a maiden.
Sachithra Senanayake – 6/10
There was not much on offer for the spinners on the green top, however, Senanayake bowled a tight line and length to contain the run flow and picked up a wicket.
Kasun Rajitha – 8.5/10
The debutant was arguably the best bowler of the match as he started the Indian batting collapse with two wickets in the very first over. He made very good use of the wicket and troubled the Indian batsmen on a regular basis to pick up three wickets.
Dushmantha Chameera – 8/10
Chameera, who impressed everyone in the series in New Zealand, showed why he is highly rated as he bowled very well at high speeds to finish with two wickets.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!
