After being completely outplayed in the first T20I, India’s second successive win meant they beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in the three-match T20I series and maintained top spot in the ICC T20I team rankings.
While MS Dhoni’s decision to field on what looked like a flat pitch in Vizag looked bizarre at the toss, India’s spinners, led by Ravichandran Ashwin ensured the decision proved to be the right one as India cruised to a comfortable victory.
Career-best T20I bowling figures for Ravichandran Ashwin and Suresh Raina ensured Sri Lanka were bundled out for their lowest T20I total. India's openers then ensured the total didn’t prove tricky as they helped India get there with plenty of time to spare.
Here are some of the best stats from the match:
0 – Sri Lanka have never beaten India on Valentine’s day in either ODIs or T20Is. This was the first T20I they have played on February 14, they have played two ODIs, one of which they lost and the other was tied.
0 – With this series win, India maintained their incredible record of never losing to Sri Lanka in a bilateral series at home, in any format.
1 – Only once before have Sri Lanka lost more than six wickets in the first 10 overs of a T20I innings. That was against Australia in Cape Town in the 2007 World T20, when they were bowled out for 101 and lost seven wickets in the first 10 overs.
2 – This was Ashwin’s second T20I four-wicket haul. Only six bowlers have taken more four-wickets hauls in the format, with Pakistan’s Umar Gul leading the way with 6.
2/6 – Suresh Raina also recorded his career-best T20I figures, beating his previous best of 2/49 against South Africa in 2012.
4 – Ashwin and Jadeja both bowled a wicket maiden in the third T20I. This was only fourth time two different bowlers have bowled a wicket maiden in an innings in T20Is. Chris Martin and Shane Bond against Kenya, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann against Afghanistan and Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla against England are the only other pairs to achieve this unique feat.
4 – This was only the second time that a spinner has taken 4 wickets in the powerplay in a T20I. Before Ashwin managed it today, Sulieman Benn was the other to have achieved that feat.
4/8 – Ravichandran Ashwin’s figures are now the best by an Indian bowler in T20Is. The previous record was also held by Ashwin, which was 4/11. This was also the offspinner's best figures in any T20 match.
15 – Nobody has taken more wickets in the powerplay than Ashwin’s 15. His four wickets in the powerplay in this match helped him beat Irfan Pathan’s record of 12 wickets.
20 – The number of dot balls bowled by Ravindra Jadeja in the innings was the second-most by any bowler in a T20I match. Mudassar Bukhari, who bowled 21 for Netherlands against UAE in Dubai holds the record for most dot balls in a T20I match.
21 – The score at which Sri Lanka lost their fifth wicket. That was the ninth-lowest score for which a team had lost their fifth wicket. The lowest such score is held by UAE, who had just 7 runs on the board when they lost their fifth against Netherlands in Dubai.
37 – India won with 37 balls to spare. This was India's biggest win in terms of number of deliveries remaining.
80 – England's 80 against India in Colombo on September 2012 remains the lowest total against India in a T20I innings. The 82 Sri Lanka score was the second-lowest total against India.
82 – This was Sri Lanka’s lowest total in T20Is, beating the previous record of 87 against Australia in Barbados in 2010. This was also only the fourth time they were bowled out for under 100 in T20Is.
83 – This was the lowest target India have been set to chase in a T20I match. The previous lowest was Zimbabwe's 111/9, which they successfully chased.
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