Nidahas Trophy, Sri Lanka vs India 1st T20I: 5 talking points from first match

After being on the wrong side of the draw for seven consecutive T20I matches, Sri Lanka finally managed to pull one back as they beat India by five wickets in the first match of the Nidahas Trophy.

India batted first as Sri Lanka won the toss and then the bowlers vindicated the decision to bat first as the visitors lost two wickets in the first two overs.

However, Shikhar Dhawan along with Manish Pandey forged a decisive partnership as India piled up 174 runs in their allotted 20 overs.

Sri Lanka got off to a jittery start as they lost Danushka Gunathilaka early, but then Kusal Perera walked in and smashed India to all parts of the ground.

His innings of 66 was defining in the context of the match, and Thisara Perera made sure that there was no end overs drama in the run chase as the hosts clinched the match by 5 wickets with nine balls to spare.

Here are all the talking points from the match.

#5 Miserable day for Shardul Thakur

The Mumbai man had a promising series against South Africa but could not repeat his performance against Sri Lanka.

Kusal Perera took to his bowling and caned him for 27 runs in his first over which put Sri Lanka on the road to victory right from the outset.

Thakur came back in the 14th over as Rohit Sharma looked to get in his overs and did a reasonable job by giving away just four runs, but the damage had already been done and the floodgates well and truly opened for Sri Lanka.

#4 Yuzvendra Chahal's fight shines through

Despite all the carnage at the other end, Yuzvendra Chahal held his nerve perfectly and had a decent day in the office.

After being on the receiving end of Kusal Perera in his first over, the diminutive leggie held his nerve and finished his spell of four overs by conceding 37 runs and picking up two crucial wickets in the form of Dinesh Chandimal and Upul Tharanga.

His spell was the lone shining light for the Indian bowling and brought India back in the game after being on the mat for the first 10 overs.

#3 Manish Pandey and Rishabh Pant's sluggish innings

India did not have an entirely bright start as they lost Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina in the powerplay.

However, Shikhar Dhawan held fort and continued his extended patch of good form from South Africa as he stitched a decisive partnership with Manish Pandey as the duo put together a stand of 95 for the third wicket.

However, Manish Pandey could not press the accelerator when it mattered the most and was dismissed for 37 off 35 balls.

Rishabh Pant was the next to come in and even he struggled to get going as he could not find boundaries and when he was dismissed off the final ball, his score read 23 off 23 balls, with a solitary boundary and one maximum.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan's imperious form continues

After having dominated the South African bowling attack in their own backyard, Shikhar Dhawan continued his rich vein of form as he scored 90 in 49 balls which included six boundaries and six sixes.

After having lost two partners in Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina, Dhawan took some time to get his eye in and then slowly got into his groove as he pressed on the accelerator.

He was dismissed by Danushka Gunathilaka as he mistimed a wide ball to long off and headed off to the dressing room for a 90-run innings which allowed the visitors to reach a competitive total of 174 runs in their 20 overs.

#1 Kusal Perera's blitzkrieg

Perhaps the most telling contribution came from Kusal Perera as he walked in and teed off.

The southpaw climbed into the Indian bowling attack and smacked the visitors to all parts of the ground.

He peeled off 27 runs in one Shardul Thakur over and dropped the hammer on the chase. His innings of 66 runs in 37 balls was a match-winning one by all means and when he departed for 127, he had all but sealed the victory.

The music, dancing, and the joyous fervour in the stands was a perfect match for the kind of delightful strokeplay.