Nidahas Trophy 2018, Sri Lanka vs India: Hits and Misses

The Nidahas Trophy between Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India got off to an unexpected start at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday (March 6).

The hosts came up against an Indian side devoid of stars like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and took full advantage of their absence to clinch the game by 5 wickets.

Dinesh Chandimal won the toss and chose to bowl first. His team did well to restrict India to an average total of 174-5 in 20 overs. Sri Lanka got off to a blistering start in the chase and raced off to 92-2 in the first eight overs. Rohit Sharma's Indian side could never really pull it back thereafter and ended up on the losing side of the tie.

---

#5 Hit: Shikhar Dhawan

This was his fifth consecutive fifty-plus score

In the last couple of months, Shikhar Dhawan has been in imperious form in limited-overs cricket. After shining in both ODI as well as T20I cricket on the South African tour last month, the left-handed batsman has carried that form seamlessly into the Nidahas Trophy as well.

He missed out on a well-deserved century by ten runs in the first game of the tri-series. He looked in supreme touch throughout the innings and scored 90 off just 49 deliveries with a strike rate of over 183.

The Indian opener is criticized often for batting at a relatively slow strike-rate in T20I cricket. However, he silenced his naysayers with his knock in Colombo, wherein he spanked the Sri Lankan bowlers around the park for as many as 12 boundaries (6 fours and 6 mammoth sixes).

#4 Miss: Suresh Raina

Raina failed to deliver with the bat

After making a blissful comeback to the national side in the Rainbow Nation last month, a lot is expected off Suresh Raina in this series and more so, as he is the most experienced player in the Indian side this time around.

However, he could not make a vital impact against Sri Lanka on the opening day. After India lost their skipper for a duck in the first over of the game, Raina walked in to bat at Number 3, his prefered batting position in T20 cricket.

The left-hander did not do any better than Sharma, though, and was sent back to the pavilion after contributing just one run to the Indian total.

The 30-year-old stuck to his basics with the ball and managed to hold off the scoring for a bit. However, India need his consistent heroics with the willow a lot more than they need his occasional deliverance with the cherry.

If he wants to cement his place in the side this time around, Raina must step up as a batsman in the next game against Bangladesh.

#3 Hit: Kusal Perera

A wonderful inning

A storm called Kusal Perera hit the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on the day. The Sri Lankan batsman went berserk from the moment he came out to bat for the hosts at 12-1 in the second over of the chase.

His terrific batting was a treat to watch and while he was at the crease, it looked like the hosts would cruise to the total. The left-handed batsman took just 22 deliveries to reach his half-century, thereby becoming the scorer of the second-fastest 50 against India by a Sri Lankan batsman.

He was eventually dismissed for a score off 66 off 37 in the 13th over of the game, where he was bamboozled by the flight of Washington Sundar's delivery. It was his innings that powered Sri Lanka to the vantage position in the chase.

The 27-year-old was adjudged 'Man of the Match' for his brilliant display with the bat.

#2 Miss: Indian opening bowlers

Unadkat's final over snatched the game from India's hands

Both Jaydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur put in shocking performances with the ball on the day. While the latter was taken to the cleaners by Perera in the initial phase of the chase, the former was ripped apart by the 'other' Perera (Thisara) in its final stages.

Thakur was belted for as many as 27 runs in his first over, while Unadkat was slammed for 16 in his final. The seam-bowling duo gave away 77 runs in just 6.3 overs, with a combined bowling economy of 11.85!

When you're defending a below-par total against a home team, a sub-standard effort like this from your fast bowlers is just not good enough.

#1 Hit: Thisara Perera

Perera stood up to his reputation of a lower-order belter in this format of the game

The Sri Lankan all-rounder gets a considerable amount of stick from the Sri Lankan fans for his consistent inconsistency on the cricket pitch. However, today he stepped up at a crucial junction of the game and took his team home with a blistering cameo with the bat at Number 7.

He scored 22 runs off just 10 deliveries and stamped his authority on the fairly inexperienced, and majorly overwhelmed, Indian bowlers. He came into the middle when Sri Lanka were in a spot of bother, where India had found a way to creep back into the game, courtesy their spin bowlers.

However, he found a way to take the attack to the opposition and grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck to take his team to victory in the 19th over of the game.