Sri Lanka at least were competitive but still finished on the losing side as India carved out a seven-wicket win in the one-off T20 International played at the R Premadasa Stadium yesterday to return home with an unbeaten record having won the Test series 3-0 and also the ODI series 5-0.
Sri Lanka’s total of 170-7 after being invited to bat first was feasible enough to defend, but they ran into the full might of Virat Kohli who in partnership with Manish Pandey carried India to victory without much effort after they had lost two wickets for 42.
The pair took apart the Lankan bowling hitting it to all parts of the ground to share a 119-run stand for the third wicket off 78 balls.
Manish Pandey finished things off for India hitting the winning boundary to end with 51 not out off 36 balls (4 fours, 1 six) – his maiden T20 fifty.
Two fine knocks of 53 and 40 not out by Dilshan Munaweera and Ashan Priyanjan ensured Sri Lanka ran up a competitive total of 170-7, but against a strong Indian line up the total seemed a wee bit short of what it should have been.
Sri Lanka looked to be heading for an all too familiar collapse that we have witnessed right throughout the ODI series – a great start but undone by poor shot selection when they slipped from 99-2 to 113-6 before Priyanjan and Isuru Udana put some respectability to it by adding 36 off 20 balls towards the end of the innings.
Bumrah was hit out of the attack by Dickwella who took three consecutive fours off his first over that cost 15 runs, but he made amends when he dismissed him for 17 in his second over.
Chahal was greeted by Munaweera who hit him for two consecutive sixes off the first two balls in an over that cost 14 runs, but he too got a wicket off his second over when he had Angelo Mathews stumped for seven.
The Indian spinners kept a strict check on the Lankan run rate and overall the bowlers managed 49 dot balls as compared to Sri Lanka’s 19 during India’s run chase.
Mumaweera playing his 10th T20 international scored his maiden half century in international cricket off 26 balls hitting five fours and four sixes.
Priyanjan who was a late replacement for Milinda Siriwardana who was ruled out of the match with a back injury and hamstring made good his inclusion in the final eleven with a useful run a ball 40 not out (1 four, 2 sixes).
Kohli was made man of the match for his faultless knock.
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