Player of the Match
Player of the Match

That was a short and sweet presentation ceremony. Both teams felt that the rain was a major factor in how the game eventually panned out. Nonetheless, a win is a win, and the India men earn back some bragging rights against Sri Lanka men after the Sri Lanka women defeated India women at the Asia Cup final earlier this evening. This is also the first T20I series win for Suryakumar Yadav (as full-time captain) and new coach Gautam Gambhir. Sri Lanka go back to the drawing board to find a way to bat better. India will consider making few changes before match number three. We'll see you then. On behalf of Thilak and Deivarayan, this is Sreshth saying good bye and ayubowan.

11.26pm Roshan Abeysinghe is ready to start the post-match chat. Ravi Bishnoi is the Player of the Match, and he says, "pitch was different today. It wasn't turning in the first innings yesterday, but it was turning today. My pace is a good pace for me, I enjoy bowling in that pace. I love bowling wrong'uns, and I try to do what works for me. Wrong'uns work against the left-hander. Bowling at the death shows the management trusts me, and I love that responsibility."

Losing captain Charith Asalanka: "Disappointed with our batting at the death and our middle and lower-middle order, including me. We must improve our batting at the death. This pitch, when the ball gets older, it becomes really hard to bat. But that's not the reason. As a professional cricketer, we have to do well, and find a way. The way we approach our last five overs, we have to do something. I think we were behind 15-18 runs. Unfortunately weather also played something. It's easy in an eight-over game with a wet outfield (smiles).

Winning captain Suryakumar Yadav: "We spoke about this before this tournament, what brand of cricket we want to play. Even though it was a shorter target, this is the template we want going ahead. With the weather around, I thought anything below 160 or 150 chasing would've been nice. We've seen games here have been tricky. Rain helped us. The way the boys batted...wonderful. We'll sit and decide what we'll do going forward [about next game's playing XI]. Little bit of luck has to go around, and just blessed with [the rain.]

11.18pm The teams shake hands, and we can see Gambhir taking Suryakumar to the side for a short private chat, a potential debrief before the team celebrates this series win together. Their next aim will be a clean sweep of the T20I series - the final game is on Tuesday.

Siddhant: "This new young Indian batting line up is nothing less that a "Carnage""

11.16pm India chase the revised target down with nine balls to spare. When Sanju Samson fell for a first-ball duck, the home crowd was feeling like they could win this game. But Jaiswal, Suryakumar and Hardik shut that idea down swiftly, and the visitors claim the series easily.

Credit also to the India bowlers in the back-end of the first innings. Bishnoi, Hardik, Axar and Arshdeep ensured Sri Lanka could score only 31 runs in the last five overs amid a flurry of wickets. That was also a contributing factor in this rain-hit game. Ironically, the two highest scores of the day, Kusal Perera (53) and Pathum Nissanka (32) finish on the losing side.

6.3
4
Pathirana to Pandya, FOUR, races away to deep third! Pathirana goes short and wide. Hardik slashes and slashes hard. Ball flies off the bat to the boundary and India win the series 2-0, and win this game by seven wickets

Kuldeep : "Seems like the playing orders are not fixed and that GG likes to have a left-right combination at the crease? Right?" -- good observation. Need more games to prove that theory though

6.2
4
Pathirana to Pandya, FOUR, scores tied (on DLS) now. Overpitched ball, fifth-stump line, Hardik stays in his crease and crunches a punch past mid off's left!

Sri Lanka women hit a six to win the Women's T20 Asia Cup when five runs were left earlier today. Will Hardik do the same to seal the series?

6.1
1
Pathirana to Pant, 1 run, short of good length on middle stump. Pant clips to deep backward square leg for a single

END OF OVER:
6 | 18 Runs 1 Wkt | IND: 72/3 (6 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 12.00, RRR: 3.00)

  • Hardik Pandya14 (7b)
  • Rishabh Pant1 (1b)
  • Wanindu Hasaranga2-0-34-1
  • Matheesha Pathirana1-0-9-1

That was an 18-run over.

Kuntal: "Yes Sreshth , it was "Dada" written all over in that Jaiswal six"

5.6
6
Hasaranga to Pandya, SIX, hammered over cow corner! Hasaranga drops his length again. This one is sliding into Hardik, and he makes a bit of room, exposes his off and middle stump, and then smacks the spinner into the stands.
5.5
1
Hasaranga to Pant, 1 run, bowls a googly. Slows it down, bowling full around leg. Turning slightly across. Pant drives to long on for one

Rishabh Pant. What does Hasaranga bowl now?

5.4
W
Hasaranga to Jaiswal, OUT, caught on the line! Half-tracker of sorts from Hasaranga. Jaiswal goes deep in his crease and tries to pull him for six over cow corner, but Shanaka positioned himself well on the boundary line. Jaiswal goes scoring 30 with a strike-rate of 200

YBK Jaiswal c Shanaka b Hasaranga 30 (28m 15b 3x4 2x6) SR: 200.00

5.3
6
Hasaranga to Jaiswal, SIX, a left-handed opener coming down the track to a spinner and lofting him over wide long on! That's nostalgia right there. Full ball outside leg stump and Jaiswal came dancing down, staying leg-side of the ball, and then launched Hasaranga for six

Anil : "only 24 needed of last three. India can afford to play out the remaining one over from Pathirana and target others."

5.2
1
Hasaranga to Pandya, 1 run, full ball just outside off. Ball stays a shade low but he manages to cut it awa to the deep
5.1
4
Hasaranga to Pandya, FOUR, more sweeps, more runs! This is Hardik. Full ball on off and Hardik got low before playing a slap-sweep, swatting it in front of square for four!

END OF OVER:
5 | 9 Runs 1 Wkt | IND: 54/2 (24 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 10.80, RRR: 8.00)

  • Hardik Pandya3 (4b)
  • Yashasvi Jaiswal24 (13b)
  • Matheesha Pathirana1-0-9-1
  • Maheesh Theekshana2-0-16-1

Matheesha Pathirana has dismissed Suryakumar Yadav in all three T20 innings where he bowled to him.

4.6
1
Pathirana to Pandya, 1 run, full ball just outside off. Hardik loses his shape while swinging across the line. Drags the shot to deep square leg
4.5
2
Pathirana to Pandya, 2 runs, full on leg and he plays a controlled on-drive to wide long on's right for a couple
4.4
0
Pathirana to Pandya, no run, short ball around off. Spongy bounce, only 103kph. Hardik shapes up to potentially play a ramp over the keeper but doesn't go through with the shot. That's three dots (and a wicket) after the first-ball six
4.3
0
Pathirana to Pandya, no run, short ball outside off, only 124kph. Hardik reaches out to cut and mistimes it. Toe-ended
4.2
W
Pathirana to Yadav, OUT, strong comeback from Pathirana! Kind of a slot ball just outside off. Suryakumar tries to club him over his head for another big shot, but ends up mistiming to long on instead. But SKY has done his job, scoring at a strike-rate of nearly 220

SA Yadav c Shanaka b Pathirana 26 (15m 12b 4x4 1x6) SR: 216.66

India 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st12SV SamsonYBK Jaiswal
2nd39SA YadavYBK Jaiswal
3rd14HH PandyaYBK Jaiswal
4th16HH PandyaRR Pant