India vs Sri Lanka: Hits and Flops as the hosts register a 3-0 whitewash

Team India registered a commanding 3-0 clean sweep at home against Sri Lanka after they defeated them by six wickets in the third T20I on Sunday.

India's win streak in the shortest format now stands at 12 matches, and they were able to inflict a third consecutive whitewash - all under Rohit Sharma's captaincy, giving the team a boost of confidence.

Opting to bat first on a pacey surface, Sri Lanka endured a poor start. They were reeling at 26/4 in the ninth over of the innings until Dasun Shanaka (74*) took the visitors to a respectable score of 146/5 in 20 overs.

In the run-chase, India were jolted early as skipper Rohit Sharma lost his wicket in the second over. For the second match running, Shreyas Iyer was called out for duty early on and he once again responded well. Along with the camoes of Deepak Hooda (21) and Ravindra Jadeja (22*), Iyer remained unbeaten on 73* and took India home with 19 balls to spare.

On that note, let's look at the hits and flops from the third India vs Sri Lanka T20I.

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#4 India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: Flop - Pathum Nissanka

Pathum Nissanka while playing shot on the on-side during the 3rd India vs Sri Lanka T20I (Image:BCCI)

Pathum Nissanka, who scored a brilliant half-century in the second India vs Sri Lanka T20I, flopped 24 hours later at the same venue. The Sri Lankan opener managed to score just a single run in 10 balls and struggled throughout his stay.

Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan, two Indian seamers brimming with pace, made Nissanka dance to their tune. The right-hander, who came down the pitch a couple of times and looked in a rush, became Avesh's first T20I wicket.

During the fifth delivery of the second over, Avesh bowled a length ball, angling across, to which Nissanka threw the bat for an aimless slog. The ball went up high in the air and Venkatesh Iyer made no mistake in grabbing it. Nissanka applied zero footwork while playing this shot.

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#3 India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: Hit - Dasun Shanaka

Dasun Shanaka played a captain's knock in the 3rd India vs Sri Lanka T20I (Image: BCCI)

Continuing from where he left off in the second India vs Sri Lanka T20I, Dasun Shanaka was once again the toast of the visitors' innings in Dharamsala. The all-rounder slammed a terrific knock of 74* in just 38 balls.

Coming in at No.6, Shanaka had a huge task at hand to rebuild the innings and bail his side out of trouble. He stitched a crucial partnership of 86* runs with Chamika Karunaratne.

It was a high-quality innings from the 30-year old where he had to nudge around initially and then had to hit top gear for boosting his team's score.

Managing 25 runs in his first 19 balls, Shanaka mustered 49 runs in his next 19. He hit as many as nine boundaries and a couple of sixes during his third T20I half-century.

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#2 India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: Flop - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma had a mediocre time with the bat in the India vs Sri Lanka T20I series (Image:BCCI)

For the second time in a row, Rohit Sharma had a substandard outing with the bat in this India vs Sri Lanka series. This time, however, it was a rather uncharacteristic innings from the India skipper.

Chasing 147, Rohit looked to stamp his authority from the word go. He even found a boundary on his second delivery, guiding an inswinging ball to the leg-side. On the subsequent delivery, Rohit tried to unsettle the bowler by slogging the ball but failed to do so.

The 34-year old then went for a lofted drive but mistimed it completely. Fortunately for Rohit, the ball didn't stick in Shanaka's hands.

In the next over, the right-hander played out three dot balls before throwing his wicket away to Dusmantha Chameera. Without any footwork, Rohit went for a pull shot on an outside-the-off-stump delivery. The ball hit the outer half of the bat and flew high towards mid-off. With Rohit going for 5 off 9 balls, it marked his sixth dismissal against Chameera in just 30 deliveries.

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#1 India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: Hit - Shreyas Iyer (India)

Shreyas Iyer was in top form during the India vs Sri Lanka T20I series (Image:BCCI)

Picking up the thread from the previous night, Shreyas Iyer again played an exceptional knock and led India's chase from the front. For the third game on the trot, Iyer remained unbeaten. He starred by scoring 73* off 45 balls, clobbering 9 boundaries and a solitary maximum.

Similar to the second T20I, Iyer came in to bat early and aptly countered the Lankan pacers. Oozing confidence, he hit 3 fours in five balls against Lahiru Kumara and got his innings going. He got to his sixth T20I fifty in style, smashing a six over long-on.

With his commanding and consistent knocks throughout the series, the Mumbai batter has ably filled in for Virat Kohli at one-down, to say the least.

Iyer was named both the Player of the Match and the Player of the Series for his exemplary performances throughout the three games of this India vs Sri Lanka T20I contest.