Sri Lanka vs India, 4th T20I, Nidahas Trophy 2018: 5 Talking Points 

After more than an hour's play was lost to the rain, it was something to cheer for the crowd as the captains made their way to the middle for the toss. The game became 19-overs-per-side.

India won the toss and opted to field first. Once again like the previous games, Sri Lanka, who were without their regular skipper Dinesh Chandimal, got off to a flying start despite losing two wickets. Kusal Mendis’ 38-ball 55 helped the hosts to reach 94/2 at the 10-over mark. But the Indian bowlers bowled very well to restrict the hosts to 152/9.

In reply, India started the chase poorly as they lost both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan in the span of 7 balls. But KL Rahul and Suresh Raina put on 40 runs for the third wicket and stabilized things.

But the latter fell trying to clear the infield and Rahul became the first India to get out hit-wicket in T20Is. Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik then finished off the chase as they took India home with 15 balls to spare.

Here are five talking points from the game.

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#5 Sri Lanka start with a bang but lose two wickets in the powerplay

Kusal Perera fell early today

After being put into bat by Rohit Sharma, Sri Lanka would’ve hoped their openers would continue the good form they’ve shown in this series. And they started with a bang!

Jaydev Unadkat opened the bowling for India. Sri Lanka got five runs off the first ball as KL Rahul fired a throw which deflected to the boundary off Kusal Mendis’ bat. On the second delivery, Mendis struck a superb six over cover to take the score to 11/0 after the first two deliveries of the game. 15 came off the first over.

Washington Sundar bowled the second over and he was hit for a six of his first ball by Gunathilaka. That took the score to 21 off just 7 deliveries.

However, India came back strongly as they picked up two key wickets. Shardul Thakur got the wicket of Gunathilaka as Raina took a spectacular catch at mid-wicket, while the dangerous Kusal Perera was castled by young Washington Sundar. Sri Lanka managed to reach 53/2 at the end of the powerplay.

#4 Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur continue to impress

Washington Sundar has been superb for India, especially in the powerplay

The 18-year-old offspinner from Tamil Nadu has been a revelation in this Nidahas Trophy. After impressing with 1/22 on debut against Sri Lanka in December, Washington Sundar was picked ahead of Axar Patel in the first game of the tri-series and he performed very well.

He picked up 2/28 in a game where Sri Lanka. In the second game against Bangladesh, he bowled an economical spell of 0/23 in four overs. Again, in this game, Sundar was brilliant. He got hit for a six off his first delivery but he came back brilliant and picked up 2/21 in four overs. His two wickets were those of the dangerous Kusal Perera and Jeevan Mendis.

In this series so far, Sundar has bowled 12 overs in 3 games and has picked up 4 wickets at an average of 18.00 and a strike-rate of 18.00. His economy of 6.00 on flat tracks has been phenomenal. In fact, he has the best economy rate in the tournament.

He’s bowled a brilliant stump-to-stump line and hasn’t allowed the batsmen to free their arms. Also, the Tamil Nadu lad has also bowled in the powerplay and has kept the batsmen in check.

On the other hand, Shardul Thakur who gave away 27 runs in his first over against Sri Lanka in the first game, came back strongly. He took 1/25 against Bangladesh in the second game. But here, he picked up 4/27 as he broke the back of the Sri Lankan middle-order. He took wickets at regular intervals

Also, he bowled hard lengths and the batsmen found it difficult to get runs against him. He also won the Man of the Match award for his brilliant spell.

#3 Sri Lanka waste a good start after Kusal Mendis’ fifty

Kusal Mendis has been in prime form

One thing that has been working for Sri Lanka in this Nidahas Trophy is the good start that they have been getting in the powerplays. Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Perera (who has batted at No. 3) have ensured that the hosts get off to a blistering start and maximize the powerplay.

Even in today’s game, Sri Lanka managed to score 53 runs in the powerplay. Even though they lost a couple of wickets, they were in a good position with Mendis and Tharanga going well.

The duo added 62 runs in 45 balls to give Sri Lanka a good platform for a big score. But Tharanga’s dismissal completely derailed the innings. They lost wickets at regular intervals as the Indian bowlers pulled things back after the hosts got off to a good start. Shardul Thakur picked up 4/27 as he restricted the run-flow.

Kusal Mendis though continued his good run. He has been one of the most consistent Sri Lankan batsmen this year. He has scored 246 runs in 5 T20Is in 2018 and has scored 4 fifties as well. His strike-rate is 172.

In this game, he started off with a bang. He struck a superb six off Unadkat on the first delivery he faced. Even after he lost a couple of partners, he didn’t get bogged down and continued scoring at a good rate and gave Sri Lanka a very good start. But the hosts didn’t capitalize on that start as they were kept down to 152/9 in their 19 overs.

#2 Rohit Sharma’s poor run continues

Rohit Sharma's lean phase endured

Rohit Sharma had a fantastic 2017. He scored 1793 runs across the three formats. However, since the start of this year, he has been unable to get going.

After failing in the first two Tests against South Africa, Rohit Sharma scored 170 runs in the 6-match ODI series (which included a century). His poor form continued in the T20Is as well as he scored just 32 runs in 3 innings. He got out for 0 and made 17 in the first two games in this tri-series.

In this game against Sri Lanka, he started well. He began with a couple of trademark pull shots which fetched him a six and a four. But he got out for 11 as he was trying to attack Akila Dananjaya in the second over of the innings. He tried to go over mid-wicket but was caught at the edge of the 30-yard circle by Kusal Mendis.

His overall T20I stats in 2018 read 60 runs in 6 innings at an average of 10.00 with a highest of 21.

#1 Pandey, Karthik guide India home after a slight wobble

Pandey and Karthik shared a 68-run stand to take India home

India started off well. Rohit Sharma scored a six and a four in the first over to start the run chase. However, Akila Dananjaya accounted for both openers - Rohit and Dhawan as they got out trying to clear the infield. India were in a spot of bother at 22/2, but KL Rahul and Suresh Raina put the innings back on track with a 40-run stand.

Raina was looking in very good touch but was out for a 15-ball 27 as he was caught at mid-off. KL Rahul was looking comfortable at the crease as well but he stepped onto his stumps to become the first Indian batsman to get our hit wicket in T20Is. .

At 85/4, Sri Lanka would’ve thought they are in with a chance. But all those chances were brushed aside as Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik took India home with 15 balls to spare. The duo put on 68 in just 46 deliveries. They rotated the strike beautifully and also found the boundary with ease as they never let the pressure get to them.

Pandey finished with 42 (3 fours and a six) while Karthik scored 39 (5 fours). Both batsmen remained unbeaten as they helped India overcome a slight wobble and get their second win for the tri-series.