Yet Another Tough Series for SL: Team India Clinched the T20I Series

The recently finished India-Sri Lanka T20I series was not just a bilateral series but rather an important one for both teams since it was the first one for Charith Asalanka as captain of the Sri Lanka T20 side, Surya Kumar as captain of India, and Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of Team India, too! Unfortunately, at least in this series, Sri Lanka couldn’t show anything promising with Asalanka’s leadership.

Except for the third match, they couldn’t even impose much threat on the Indian side, and India ensured the series win after the first two matches. India rested some key players in the last game, yet they won it in a Super Over thriller.

How the Series Went for Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan cricket fans were in high hopes after the change of leadership, which shifted from Hasarnga to Asalanka. Besides, the Sri Lankan women’s team won the Women’s Asia Cup for the first time, which amazed all the cricket fans.

However, their male colleagues again frustrated them with repeated poor performances. After the last T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka desperately sought something to restore their confidence. With high hopes, they elected new leader Asalanka for the T20 format, where the first assignment was their home series against India.

How Things Went For Sri Lanka In The First Two Matches

India batted first and scored 213 in the first T20I on 27^th July. Suryakumar scored 58 off just 26 balls as captain! Jaiswal’s 40 off 21 balls in the opening and Rishabh Pant’s 49 off 33 balls helped them post this big total on the board. In response, Sri Lanka started aggressively, looking right on the track to chase the total.

The two openers, Pathum Nissanka’s 79 off 48 balls and Kusal Mendis’s 45 off 27 balls, gave them a solid foundation to chase the target. But after the fall of these wickets, no one could carry the innings. Charith Asalanka, the captain, went for a duck at a crucial time! Including him, seven batters got out without reaching two digits. The innings ended at only 170, and India won the match by 43 runs!

The second match was Sri Lanka’s last chance to save the series, but the scenario didn’t improve. This time, Sri Lanka batted first and scored 161 for nine wickets. Asalanka scored 14 of 12 balls, which is not impressive again. However, the match was rain-affected, and the target for India was lowered to 81 in 8 overs, where India didn’t struggle at all and reached the total very comfortably, ensuring the series as well.

Last Match Drama and Another Heartbreak for Sri Lanka

Since they had already won the series, India rested some players this time, like Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant. Batting first, India lost early wickets and looked very shaky against the Sri Lankan bowlers. However, with Shubman Gill’s 39 of 37 and some other contributions, India somehow scored 137, which is not a good total considering the T20 format. Yet, the rain before the game started affected the condition, which slowed the pitch and the ground.

Like the first match, Sri Lanka started very well again. Pathum Nissanka’s 26 off 27 balls and Kusal Mendis’s 43 of 41 balls helped Sri Lanka boost the players’ confidence since the target was not higher. Kusal Perera’s 46 of 34 balls could confirm the win for them. But Suryakumar appeared to be an exceptional captain for India and was surprised by some unique decisions.

When Sri Lankan batters struggled on the slow pitch and the fast bowlers were left with more overs, he used his spinning options frequently. In the ninetieth, he brought Rinku Singh, who didn’t bowl at all, which was an absolute gamble, and that worked! He took two wickets on that over with the expense of only three runs! It was expected that Siraj would come for the last over since, in his three overs, he spent only 11 runs and is a specialist death-over bowler.

But, Suryakumar showed another gamble and came for the last over! This was such a surprise that the audience could barely believe that selection! But that worked, too, as Suryakumar also took two wickets in that over! Three runs were required in the last ball, and they could only take two runs.  

The Super Over became apparent, and their batters ruined Sri Lanka’s last chance to win at least one game. Two wickets fell quickly after Kusal Mendis took the single. Suryakumar again kept faith in the spinner, and Washington Sundar responded accordingly. With just one run in a Super Over, the cricket world experienced something rarely seen. However, the chase did not have more than one ball for India.

Does Sri Lanka Have Anything from This Series?

Unfortunately, Sri Lanka did not achieve much from this series. However, the opening pair performed well consistently in these matches, which gave the team a good start. Besides, the bowlers performed well as well. The disaster happened mainly in the middle-order batting, which must be their prime focus now. Another thing is the pressure as captain, which Asalanka has failed to handle. The captain’s responsibility could have been the reason for failing to perform as a batter.

One of the reasons behind the collapse in the lower order was their blind attempts for big hits, which proved too costly for them. Fearless batting is appreciated, but the way the tailenders tried to score big shots didn’t prove pure intent, considering the match situation. Especially in the last match, the target was not higher, and they could have gotten it with singles and doubles, but they lost wickets for some failed attempts of big hits.  Sri Lanka should focus on improving these areas.

Conclusion

While finding faults, Sri Lanka always tried to forget this series as another lousy episode. Asalanka couldn’t start well, but he will have time to perform better next time. India didn’t even come with their full force as a champion, yet they performed outstandingly and whitewashed Sri Lanka in their home.

Sri Lanka’s next task is the three-match ODI series, where they will again try to fight back. This time, Charith Asalanka will lead the team again and desperately look to learn from his mistakes in the T20 series. With good captaincy, his best with the bat is badly needed for Sri Lanka this time.