India vs Sri Lanka, First T20: Player ratings

After a successful victory in the ODI series, the Indian cricket team came into the match with another target in mind. The Rohit Sharma-led team performed well in the first innings and gave the visitors a fighting total of 180 to chase.

The Sri Lankans couldn't respond to the high target, as they lost all their wickets for only 87 runs. Both the spinners were exceptional yet again for the Indian cricket team as they took 6 wickets amongst themselves to collapse the Sri Lanka batting lineup.

Let us take a look at how each player fared:

India

Rohit Sharma - 5.5/10

The Indian skipper didn't have a great start to the T20 series as a batsman. He only scored 17 off 13 balls and would have wanted to continue to score a big total. He mistimed his shot as it was high on the bat and went straight to mid-on.

However, as a captain, he couldn't have asked for anything else from his bowlers and the team. The spinners especially bowled extremely well by getting all the right lengths and troubled the entire Sri Lankan batting order.

KL Rahul - 8.5/10

Playing international cricket after a rather long break can be a tough task for any player, but Rahul accepted the challenge and scored a strong 61 at a good strike rate of 127. The 25-year-old built the foundation for the rest of the team to build on, but ended up losing his wicket to Thisara Perera as he slogged across the line to possibly increase his strike rate but saw the ball hit the stumps instead.

Shreyas Iyer - 6/10

The youngster played well for his 24, although he would have wanted to accelerate faster to score a big score. He lost his wicket to Pradeep as the ball cramped him a little more than he expected and bounces up a little higher leading to a top edge.

MS Dhoni - 8/10

The veteran answered his critics as he scored a spectacular and well-orchestrated 39 off just 22 deliveries. His running has been amazing as usual, and he also hit a magnificent six off the last ball to complete his innings.

Dhoni also had an amazing day behind the stumps as he was involved in 4 out of the 10 Sri Lankan wickets.

Manish Pandey - 8/10

Not getting many chances in the ODI series, Manish Pandey made complete use of his opportunity in this match as he scored a superb 32 off 18 deliveries at an amazing strike rate of 177. His innings also included 11 runs in a single delivery(Six off a no ball). He proved the selectors right as he formed a spectacular partnership with MS towards the end.

Dinesh Karthik - N/A

Hardik Pandya - 6/10

Pandya hasn't had the best of times with the ball. Despite taking three wickets towards the end, he was expensive at the beginning of the Sri Lankan innings. He would've hoped to bat but didn't get an opportunity to showcase his finishing ability.

Kuldeep Yadav - 7.5/10

Once again the Chinaman proved to be one of the best-limited over spinners in the country. He took two wickets at a good economy rate of 4.50 conceding only 18 runs in his four overs. Kuldeep bowled the right places and troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen throughout his spell.

Jaydev Unadkat - 7.5/10

The 26-year-old gave a great start to the Indian team as he took the first wicket of Dickwella. He bowled the right line and length and was very economical in the two overs he bowled giving only 7 runs.

Yuzvendra Chahal - 9/10

Chahal was absolutely remarkable in the match. He ripped apart the Sri Lankan batting order as he picked up four crucial wickets: Tharanga, Mathews, Gunaratne and Thisara Perera. Dhoni and Chahal formed a deadly pair against the Sri Lankan batsmen as they dismissed three batters together. He will hope to continue this form to be the first choice spinner for the Indian cricket team.

Bumrah - 7/10

Despite not taking any wickets, Bumrah bowled well in the match. He didn't have much to do the entire match as the spinners were doing the job for the rest of the team.

Sri Lanka

Opener Upul Tharanga was the sole light in a poor Sri Lankan batting show

Niroshan Dickwella – 5/10

The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper started off well but lost his wicket to a slower ball from Jaydev Unadkat. He tried to make room and loft it over cover but ended up reaching the ball and offering a simple catch to Rahul.

Upul Tharanga - 6/10

The Sri Lankan opener did well for his 23, but he lost his wicket to Chahal for a ball bowled outside leg stump. He tried a sweep shot but got a thin edge, resulting in a good catch by Dhoni. He would've hoped to stay for longer and given the Sri Lankan middle order a foundation to grow on.

Kusal Perera - 5.5/10

He tried to build a partnership but wasn't able to accelerate his innings. He played 28 balls and scored only 19 runs before he lost his wicket to Kuldeep. Perera should have tried to score a little faster as he built pressure on the rest of the batsmen.

Angelo Mathews - 4.5/10

The Sri Lankan all-rounder bowled well and even took the important wicket of the Indian skipper. He was economical and bowled a decent line and length. However, with the bat, he just couldn't get going. He scored only one run in seven balls in before he lost his wicket to Chahal.

Asela Gunaratne - 4/10

Gunaratne was able to score only 4 runs as he lost his wicket to the Dhoni-Chahal combination. He didn't have much to do the entire game and would've wanted to contribute with the bat to help Sri Lanka achieve a decent score.

Dasun Shanaka - 2.5/10

Definitely not the best day for Shanaka. He played 6 balls and scored only a single run as he lost his wicket to Kuldeep. He tried to go for the big one but misread the googly and ended up giving a simple catch to Pandya.

Thisara Perera - 3.5/10

The Sri Lankan skipper had a bad match despite winning the toss. The team couldn't execute their strategies well, giving the Sri Lankan batsmen a massive target of 180 to chase. As a bowler, Perera was smashed for 37 runs in his 4 overs, however, he took the wicket of Rahul. With the bat, Perera lost his wicket in four deliveries by the combination of Chahal and Dhoni again.

Akila Dananjaya - 5/10

With the ball, Dananjaya was hit for 30 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 7.50. He didn't really trouble the Indian batsmen like in the ODI series. He scored 7 runs off 7 balls as he then lost his wicket to Pandya.

Dushmantha Chameera - 2.5/10

Chameera was the most expensive bowler of the match in terms of economy rate. He conceded 38 runs in just three overs that included an expensive 19-run over. With the bat, he hit a decent 12 off 14 balls and lost his wicket to Pandya. He would like to return with a good performance in the next match and restrict India to a low total.

Nuwan Pradeep - 3/10

Pradeep conceded 38 runs in four overs that includes the massive 21 runs over. He would want to rectify his line and length, especially towards the end of the innings.

Vishwa Fernando - 3/10

In the entire match, Vishwa could only bowl 2 overs and he conceded 16 runs. He would've liked to finish his quota of overs as the other bowlers were expensive and couldn't restrict the Indian batsmen.