India were off to a flying start with the ball. Their opening bowling pair of Avesh Khan and Mohammed Siraj kept them on top of the proceedings. Avesh Khan picked up a brace while Mohammed Siraj chipped in with a single wicket inside the Powerplay. Soon, Ravi Bishnoi got himself into the wicket's coulmn as well.
... The Run Chase ...
Right then. India need 149 runs to make it 3-0.
India had Sri Lanka by the scruff off the neck, but it was Dasun Shanakaâs late revival that helped Sri Lanka to avoid an embarrassing total. India would be extremely gutted to see Sri Lanka end with 146 runs on the board. Although, after the batting excellence showcased in the last game, India would certainly back their bowlers to complete the clean sweep, but it won't be so easy.
This Sri Lankan innings was no where near the last game, barring Dasun Shanaka. The skipper truly played a captainâs knock and did really well to steady the ship. Sri Lanka were off to a catastrophic start as they were reeling at 29/4. It looked like Sri Lanka would get budled out under the 100-run mark. But Dasun Shanaka clearly had other ideas. The skipper was the back bone of the innings with his 74 off 38 balls. He has given his bowlers something to fight for.Â
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A dot ball to finish! Banged in short and wide but the pace is taken off the ball. Dasun Shanaka tries to hang back and ramp it over short third man but the ball is a bit out of his reach. Sri Lanka finish with 146/5!
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! Banged in short, down the leg side. Dasun Shanaka goes for the pull and gets a tickle on it. The ball goes fine and runs away into the fine leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A length ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka looks to chase it but misses.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A short ball, on off. Dasun Shanaka pulls it to deep square leg for a brace.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! One-handed maximum now by Dasun Shanaka! He is putting on a show here. Back of a length, on the body and its slower again. Shanaka goes through with the pull and manages to get it all the way over the square leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Nicely bowled! Slower delivery, full and close to the off pole. Dasun Shanaka looks to smoke it over the long on fence but gets undone by the lack of pace.
Harshal Patel (3-0-17-1) to bowl the final over of the innings.
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, Slower one, length and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne swings wildly but there is a huge gap between the bat and the ball.Â
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, Fuller, on middle and leg. Chamika Karunaratne flicks it to mid-wicket for one. There is an overthrow and the batters sneak another run.
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, WIDE! Pressure on the bowler. Second wide of the over. Fuller, wide outside off and outside the tramline. Chamika Karunaratne leaves it alone. Wide called.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, Full length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka works it through point for a single.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! BANG! Even the crowd is enjoying this brilliant knock by Dasun Shanaka. A low full toss, on off. Dasun Shanaka stays back and muscles it over the long on fence.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, WIDE! Back of a length, well outside off. Dasun Shanaka looks to uppercut it away but misses. Wide called.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! A short ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka hangs back and cuts it square on the off side for a boundary.Â
Avesh Khan (3-1-4-2) to bowl the penultimate over.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! FIFTY FOR SHANAKA! It comes off 29 balls. In the second game it was 47 off 19. He is on a roll. Full length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka gets under it and lifts it over the bowler's head for a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Full and on leg. Dasun Shanaka gets low and sweeps it to square leg for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, ! Back-to-back boundaries. Dasun Shanaka is hungry for more. Full length, wide outside off. Dasun Shanaka reaches out and lofts it over the infield on the off side for a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, ! A commanding shot! Tossed up, full and outside off. Dasun Shanaka comes down the track and lofts it over mid off to bag a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Flighted, full and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne slaps it to long on for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Another single! Quicker, flatter and on leg. Dasun Shanaka steps forward and pushes it down the ground towards mid on and takes an easy single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Tossed up, full and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne pushes it to cover for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, Length, on middle and leg. Dasun Shanaka stays on the leg side of the ball and drags his pull shot to mid-wicket for a couple more. Runs are coming in at a good rate for Sri Lanka now.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, A length ball, on the pads. Dasun Shanaka flicks it through mid-wicket for a brace.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, ! Second boundary off the over. Dasun Shanaka is looking in control here. A length ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka stands back and slashes it through point for a boundary.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, wide outside off. Dasun Shanaka tries to reach out but misses.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, ! Dasun Shanaka oozing with confidence. Back of a length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka opens the face of the bat late and guides it past backward point for a boundary.Â
Mohammed Siraj to Chamika Karunaratne, A length ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne shuffles across and works it through square leg for a single.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Length ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne pushes it to cover for one. 12 runs off it. The most expensive over by an Indian bowler in this innings.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, BYES! Out of everybody's reach! Back of a length, on off, it flies off the deck. Chamika Karunaratne leaves it alone. Sanju Samson leaps behind the sticks but is unable to collect the ball. It races away to the fine leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Length ball, on leg. Dasun Shanaka tucks it to square leg for one.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! Nicely played! Dasun Shanaka getting into the act now. Full length, on the pads. Dasun Shanaka flicks it through square leg with excellent timing and bags a boundary.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, ! A tough one! It is not easy to take the catch running over the shoulders. Even difficult for a fielder like Ravindra Jadeja. A slower, short ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne stays inside the crease and heaves across the line. The ball take the top-edge and flies towards cover. Ravindra Jadeja chases it and tries to gather the ball with a forward dive but in vain. A single is taken.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Back of a length, on off. Dasun Shanaka dabs it to point and gets across for a quick single. The fielder has a shy but misses, although the batter was well in.
Harshal Patel (2-0-9-1) is back into the attack now.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Beaten! Quicker and flatter, around off. Chamika Karunaratne looks to push it out on the off side but gets beaten.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Flatter, on middle. Shanaka works it towards mid-wicket for one more.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Leg bye! On the pads, Karunaratne looks to turn it on the leg side but misses. The ball goes off the pads and rolls towards short leg. The batters scamper through for a leg bye.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, At 96 clicks and it's the big googly. Starts from outside off and ends on middle stump. Karunaratne is able to block it out.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller this time, on middle. Shanaka eases it down to long on for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Quicker and on off. Karunaratne tucks it 'round the corner for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Good fielding! Down the leg side and Dasun Shanaka sweeps it fine. The ball beats the man at short fine leg but Mohammed Siraj runs to his right and puts in the dive at the fine leg fence to save two runs for his team.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, Shorter this time, on off. Karunaratne backs away and cuts it towards cover for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, Tossed up, on middle. Karunaratne defends it out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, LEG BYES! Tickled away fine and finds the fence. On the pads, and sliding down. Karunaratne looks to flick it away but the ball goes off the pad and runs away fine, into the fine leg fence.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Looped up, full and on leg. Shanaka makes a bit of room and works it through covers for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Shorter, on middle and turning in. Shanaka wrists it towards wide long on for a couple of runs.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, A bumper this time, over middle. Karunaratne ducks under the ball but it dies on its way to the keeper.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Short of a length, on the hips and this is pulled down to deep backward square leg for just another run.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Slower one, fuller and outside off. Karunaratne steers it down to third man for a single.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Around the top of off. Karunaratne defends it out.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TAKEN! Venkatesh Iyer with a blinder and just when a partnership was brewing, Sri Lanka lose another wicket. Harshal Patel is brought back and he starts off with a short and wide one. Dinesh Chandimal rocks back and cuts it ferociously towards point. The ball goes uppishly and at a rate of knots but Venkatesh Iyer is sharp enough to get down in time. The ball eludes his palms but somehow he manages to hold on using his body. Iyer does seem hurt
Chamika Karunaratne is the new man in.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Back of a length, around off. This is played off the back foot past point for a brace.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, On off, this is eased down the ground for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Beaten! Lovely piece of bowling from Kuldeep Yadav. It's the googly this time and it is slowed up significantly. Full, on off and Chandimal is beaten past the outside edge as he looks to drive.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, ! A tad shorter, on middle and turning back in. Dinesh Chandimal has a lot of time to make room and push it through covers. He times it beautifully and Shreyas Iyer cannot keep the ball in play as he races in from the point fence. A boundary.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Shanaka now with the reverse sweep. This is fuller and around leg stump. Shanaka reverses it towards point for a quick single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, around leg. Chandimal nudges it on the leg side for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Floated up, on off. Shanaka gets inside the line of the ball and paddles it down to fine leg. Mohammed Siraj is quick to get across to his right and keeps it down to one.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, A bit slower through the air and tossed up outside off. Dasun Shanaka winds up for the big heave leg side but gets it off the inner half of the bat towards deep mid-wicket. The batters get a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter, around middle. This is turned through mid-wicket for another single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, MISFILED AND A BOUNDARY! Tossed up, full and on the pads. Dasun Shanaka gets low and sweeps it to deep square leg. Mohammed Siraj fumbles in the deep and the ball rolls into the fence. 9 runs off it. Sri Lanka need much more overs like this one.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, This is fuller and on middle. Shanaka drives it down to long on for a run and the 50 comes up for Sri Lanka.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, WIDE! At 93.4 kph and spilled down the leg side. Samson with another good take behind the stumps and a wide is called.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Flighted this time, on off. Chandimal leans in and pushes it down to long off for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Quicker one, on off and skidding through. Chandimal defends it out.
DRINKS! Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan have put India on top of proceedings with their exploits in the Powerplay. Ravi Bishnoi has also picked up a wicket and Sri Lanka are reeling at the moment. The skipper Dasun Shanaka and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal are at the crease and will look to stay on for as long as possible to get to a decent total. A couple of more wickets here and India will have a stranglehold on the match.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Overpitched and punished! On off, beautifully driven through covers for a boundary by Dinesh Chandimal.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it out for an easy single.
Is that a stumping? Sanju Samson has whipped off the bails in a flash and Kuldeep Yadav reckons he has got his man. The catch will also be checked. The ball is close to the outside edge but UltraEdge that there's a clear gap between bat and pad. The replay shows that Samson was quick but Shanaka was quicker and had his back leg grounded before the bails came off. NOT !
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, on off. Dasun Shanaka sweeps it to square leg for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, NOT ! Dasun Shanaka has his back foot on the ground. It is a fuller delivery, around off, it turns away a touch. Dasun Shanaka shuffles across and tries to defend it out but misses. Sanju Samson gathers the ball and is quick to take the bails off. He seems to be excited and thinks Dasun Shanaka had his back leg in the air. The umpire takes it upstairs to confirm. The replays show Dasun Shanaka is safe.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, On off, blocked out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, angling down leg. Dinesh Chandimal gets low and sweeps it to fine leg for three runs.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Floated and full, on off. Dinesh Chandimal drives it down the ground for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, TWO WIDES! Flatter, down leg. Dasun Shanaka stays back and looks to pull it away but misses. Sanju Samson dives to his left to make a half-stop. The batters take a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, on off, turning in. Dasun Shanaka clips it through square leg for a brace.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Flighted, full and on leg. Dasun Shanaka prods and tries to defend it out.
The captain, Dasun Shanaka walks out to bat with his team in a spot of bother.
Ravi Bishnoi to Janith Liyanage, ! TIMBER! Ravi Bishnoi strikes in his very first over. He is enjoying in time in International cricket. What a ripper of a delivery, Janith Liyanage gets beaten all ends up. It is a googly, pitching outside off. Janith Liyanage prods and looks to defend it out but gets beaten by the turn. It spins in a long way and goes through off the inside edge to rattle the stumps.
Ravi Bishnoi to Janith Liyanage, Fuller and outside off. Janith Liyanage leans into the shot and slashes it through covers for a brace.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Looped up, on the pads. Dinesh Chandimal clips it to fine leg for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, on off. Dinesh Chandimal blocks it out solidly.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Tossed up, full and on off. Dinesh Chandimal prods and defends it out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Short and on middle. Dinesh Chandimal makes room and punches it past mid off for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Janith Liyanage, Fuller, on off. Janith Liyanage drives it down the ground for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Janith Liyanage, Flighted, full, around off, turning away with the arm. Janith Liyanage blocks it out watchfully.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, BEATEN! What a ripper! A googly, around off. Dinesh Chandimal leans in to defends it out, but only manages to get beaten on the outside edge.
Spin for the first time tonight as Kuldeep Yadav comes on to bowl.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, Length, on the pads. Janith Liyanage tucks it to the leg side for another single. A tidy start by Harshal Patel. It's been a while since Sri Lanka got their last boundary.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, Length, on off. Dinesh Chandimal drives it past extra cover and gets across for a single.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, A length ball, on middle and leg. Dinesh Chandimal looks to work it away to the leg side but gets it into the deck off the bottom end. He rotates in his crease, as he is unaware where the ball landed.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, WIDE! Back of a length, on off. It bounces off the deck. Dinesh Chandimal sways away from the line. The umpire thinks it goes above the head and signals a wide.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, LEG BYE! On a length, on leg. Janith Liyanage tries to flick it away but misses. It goes off his pads to the left of the keeper. They cross for a leg bye.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, A length ball, outside off. Dinesh Chandimal stays back and defends it to point. He takes on Ravindra Jadeja and makes it safely to the other end.
Harshal Patel is now brought into the attack.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, Harshal Patel starts with a full one, angled down leg. Janith Liyanage stays back and flicks it to square leg for one.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, Sri Lanka are 18/3 at the end of Powerplay. This is full and on the pads. Janith Liyanage flicks it to mid-wicket for a quick single. Avesh Khan's figure read 3-1-4-2 so far. This is an incredible stat.Â
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, around off. Dinesh Chandimal guides it towards third man for one.
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, A sharp bouncer, on off. Dinesh Chandimal was set to hook it away but ends up ducking under it.Â
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, LEG BYE! A length ball, on the pads. Janith Liyanage stays inside the crease, tries to flick it away but misses. It goes off his pads and the batters take a leg bye.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, A length ball, on the stumps. Janith Liyanage blocks it out solidly.Â
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, A full-length ball, on off. Dinesh Chandimal steps across and flicks it towards mid on for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Sri Lanka struggling here! This is banged in short over middle stump. Janith Liyanage ducks under the ball and just 3 singles come off the over.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, This is angled into the body. Chandimal pulls it awkwardly towards square leg for one.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Length again, outside off. Liyanage looks to drive but edges it past the slip cordon and down to third man for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, Direct-hit and it would have been curtains for Dinesh Chandimal! Back of a length, on off. Chandimal hops and dabs it towards covers. There's a little mix-up between the batters but they eventually go for the single. Deepak Hooda misses the shy at the bowler's end and Chandimal survives.
Dinesh Chandimal comes in at number 5.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, Right on the money! Chandimal defends the length ball towards mid off.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, A touch fuller, around off and shaping away nicely. Chandimal makes a watchful leave.
Avesh Khan to Charith Asalanka, ! TAKEN! Sanju Samson with a very well-judged catch and Charith Asalanka now has to walk back! Dot balls create pressure and both the opening bowlers for India have done well to keep on the pressure. This is angled across the left-hander. Charith Asalanka looks to break the shackles and has a swipe across the line. His feet don't move and he is late in his shot. The ball skies off the top edge around the leg slip region. The keeper, Sanju Samson keeps
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, Around the top of off, Liyanage hops on the back foot and jams it out towards mid off for a quick single.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, On off, Liyanage leans in to defend it out on the off side.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, The dot balls continue to rise up! Short of a length, outside off and shaping away a bit. Liyanage sways away from the line of the ball.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, A hint of away movement now. Outside off, Liyanage looks to drive on the up but is well beaten.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, On a length, on off and nipping back in a bit off the surface. Janith Liyanage is caught on the crease but manages to block it out.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, Another play and a miss! Length this time, slanting across the left-hander. Asalanka looks to drive but misses.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, A spicy bouncer now. This is bowled on off and is angling away. Charith Asalanka tries to get some bat on it but is beaten once again.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, Good comeback! Fullish again, closer to the off pole. Asalanka looks to push at it but gets beaten past the outside edge.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, ! Width on offer and punished. Full and wide, Charith Asalanka slashes at it and gets it behind point for a boundary.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, A touch fuller, on off. Liyanage bunts it out on the off side for a quick single.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Close but not close enough! A length ball, on off and this is nipping back in sharply off the surface. Janith Liyanage gets pinged on the pads as he looks to block it out. Mohammed Siraj is interested. India do go for the review eventually and UltraEdge confirms there's no bat on it. Ball Tracker shows that the ball was missing the top of off by a few inches. The original call of NOT stands and India lose a review early on.
Janith Liyanage is the new man in.
Avesh Khan to Charith Asalanka, On off, Asalanka defends it out.Â
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, ! TAKEN! Pathum Nissanka now perishes and Sri Lanka off to a catastrophic start here. Nissanka was getting bogged down and the pressure got to him. This is a bit pitched up, on off. Nissanka backs away and looks to lifts it over the long off fence but gets it off the toe end. The ball flies towards the edge of the circle around the mid off region and Venkatesh Iyer comes in from the long off fence to take a good catch. First international wicket for Aves
Charith Asalanka is the new man in.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, A bit of width on offer, Nissanka thumps it straight towards the man at cover.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, LEG BYES! Unlucky! A length ball, around middle and this one jags back in late and a long way as well. Pathum Nissanka makes a bit of room but gets beaten for pace. The ball goes off the pads and past the stumps, into the third man fence.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, Length this time, outside off and shaping away. Nissanka looks to thrash it through covers but misses.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, Fullish delivery, sliding into the pads. Nissanka looks to flick it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. Khan appeals but the umpire says no.
Mohammed Siraj to Danushka Gunathilaka, ! Chopped on! Danushka Gunathilaka looks to start off with a bang but instead walks back for a golden duck. Mohammed Siraj bangs it in short, over 140 clicks and around the off pole. Gunathilaka hangs deep and doesn't move his feet. He looks to pull but the ball hurries on and Gunathilaka gets an inside edge. The ball goes on to hit the off stump and Siraj has provided India with a brilliant start.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Pathum Nissanka and Sri Lanka are underway. Good-length, angled into the body. Nissanka makes a bit of room and dabs it down to third man for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Siraj starts off with a good length ball, around off and shaping away. Pathum Nissanka guides it nicely to the left of point where Ravindra Jadeja makes a brilliant diving stop.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Four dots in a row now! Around the top of off, at 137.6 clicks. Nissanka bunts it towards Jadeja at point and wants the single. His partner, Danushka Gunathilaka doesn't want to risk it against Jadeja.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Length again, angled into middle and leg. Nissanka defends it on the leg side.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Extra bit of bounce and lovely late movement as well. This is angled in on off stump and the ball moves away late off the surface. Pathum Nissanka is beaten all ends up.
We are moments away from the start of the match! The Indian players spread out on the field as the Sri Lankan openers, Pathum Nissanka and Danushka Gunathilaka take guard. Mohammed Siraj has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Ravindra Jadeja is in for a quick chat. Jadeja says that he is very happy to be back after two months and is also happy to bat wherever the team requires him to. He adds that he practiced at the NCA in Bangalore and got enough time to recover. When he was recovering, mentally he was always trying to stay focused on his return. Mentions that even when he was injured, he kept running in order to stay in shape and then slowly and steadily got better.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Janith Liyanage (In for Praveen Jayawickrama), Dasun Shanaka (C), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay (In for Kamil Mishara), Binura Fernando and Lahiru Kumara.
India (Playing XI) - Rohit Sharma (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (WK), Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav (In for Ishan Kishan), Mohammed Siraj (In for Bhuvneshwar Kumar), Avesh Khan (In for Jasprit Bumrah) and Ravi Bishnoi (In for Yuzvendra Chahal).
India captain, Rohit Sharma says that they wanted to bowl first as well and want to keep challenging themselves as a team. He adds that Ishan has been ruled out and they do not want to take any chances. Alongside him, Bhuvi, Bumrah and Chahal all go out. Bishnoi, Kuldeep, Avesh and Siraj come in tonight. On being India's most capped T20I player he says that it's always a beautiful feeling representing your country and will look to do his best.
Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lankan skipper, is for a chat. He says, they will bat first. It looks like the conditions are good to bat on. Mentions, there are a couple of changes to their side and will look to end the series with a win.
TOSS - Up goes the flip of the coin and it lands in favour of Sri Lanka and they will have a BAT first.
... MATCH DAY ...
Hello and a warm welcome to the third T20I game between India and Sri Lanka. This is the final game of the series with India having sealed it with 2-0. Will the hosts continue their dominance? Or will the visitors be able to take away a consolation win? We shall find out soon.
In the recent games, the Indian middle-order has been going bonkers and racking up runs at a brisk rate. The camp would hope the batters continue on their merry way and provide a helping hand in completing the whitewash. The bowling though needs an improvement from the last match as the Indian bowlers leaked a lot of runs at the death.
Sri Lankan batters did showcase their aggressive hitting with the blade once they got their eye in. It wasn't a lone-fought battle, unlike the first game and Sri Lanka will expect the batters to keep up the good work. We might see some changes in the bowling department though, as the visitors still hunt for their deadly mix. An exciting contest awaits. Stay tuned for the toss.
PITCH REPORT - Deepdas Gupta is alongside Rusell Arnold. DDS says that the pitch is a different one and hence the dimensions change as well. Arnold says there's less grass on this pitch but it is still hard and there are a few areas on which if the ball pitches, the batters might be troubled. It is a bit dry so the spinners will have a better day than yesterday. DDS adds that the pacers will still get a lot of bounce and 180 is what the side batting first will be looking for.
India were off to a flying start with the ball. Their opening bowling pair of Avesh Khan and Mohammed Siraj kept them on top of the proceedings. Avesh Khan picked up a brace while Mohammed Siraj chipped in with a single wicket inside the Powerplay. Soon, Ravi Bishnoi got himself into the wicket's coulmn as well.
... The Run Chase ...
Right then. India need 149 runs to make it 3-0.
India had Sri Lanka by the scruff off the neck, but it was Dasun Shanakaâs late revival that helped Sri Lanka to avoid an embarrassing total. India would be extremely gutted to see Sri Lanka end with 146 runs on the board. Although, after the batting excellence showcased in the last game, India would certainly back their bowlers to complete the clean sweep, but it won't be so easy.
This Sri Lankan innings was no where near the last game, barring Dasun Shanaka. The skipper truly played a captainâs knock and did really well to steady the ship. Sri Lanka were off to a catastrophic start as they were reeling at 29/4. It looked like Sri Lanka would get budled out under the 100-run mark. But Dasun Shanaka clearly had other ideas. The skipper was the back bone of the innings with his 74 off 38 balls. He has given his bowlers something to fight for.Â
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A dot ball to finish! Banged in short and wide but the pace is taken off the ball. Dasun Shanaka tries to hang back and ramp it over short third man but the ball is a bit out of his reach. Sri Lanka finish with 146/5!
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! Banged in short, down the leg side. Dasun Shanaka goes for the pull and gets a tickle on it. The ball goes fine and runs away into the fine leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A length ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka looks to chase it but misses.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A short ball, on off. Dasun Shanaka pulls it to deep square leg for a brace.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! One-handed maximum now by Dasun Shanaka! He is putting on a show here. Back of a length, on the body and its slower again. Shanaka goes through with the pull and manages to get it all the way over the square leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Nicely bowled! Slower delivery, full and close to the off pole. Dasun Shanaka looks to smoke it over the long on fence but gets undone by the lack of pace.
Harshal Patel (3-0-17-1) to bowl the final over of the innings.
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, Slower one, length and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne swings wildly but there is a huge gap between the bat and the ball.Â
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, Fuller, on middle and leg. Chamika Karunaratne flicks it to mid-wicket for one. There is an overthrow and the batters sneak another run.
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, WIDE! Pressure on the bowler. Second wide of the over. Fuller, wide outside off and outside the tramline. Chamika Karunaratne leaves it alone. Wide called.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, Full length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka works it through point for a single.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! BANG! Even the crowd is enjoying this brilliant knock by Dasun Shanaka. A low full toss, on off. Dasun Shanaka stays back and muscles it over the long on fence.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, WIDE! Back of a length, well outside off. Dasun Shanaka looks to uppercut it away but misses. Wide called.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! A short ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka hangs back and cuts it square on the off side for a boundary.Â
Avesh Khan (3-1-4-2) to bowl the penultimate over.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! FIFTY FOR SHANAKA! It comes off 29 balls. In the second game it was 47 off 19. He is on a roll. Full length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka gets under it and lifts it over the bowler's head for a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Full and on leg. Dasun Shanaka gets low and sweeps it to square leg for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, ! Back-to-back boundaries. Dasun Shanaka is hungry for more. Full length, wide outside off. Dasun Shanaka reaches out and lofts it over the infield on the off side for a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, ! A commanding shot! Tossed up, full and outside off. Dasun Shanaka comes down the track and lofts it over mid off to bag a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Flighted, full and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne slaps it to long on for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Another single! Quicker, flatter and on leg. Dasun Shanaka steps forward and pushes it down the ground towards mid on and takes an easy single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Tossed up, full and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne pushes it to cover for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, Length, on middle and leg. Dasun Shanaka stays on the leg side of the ball and drags his pull shot to mid-wicket for a couple more. Runs are coming in at a good rate for Sri Lanka now.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, A length ball, on the pads. Dasun Shanaka flicks it through mid-wicket for a brace.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, ! Second boundary off the over. Dasun Shanaka is looking in control here. A length ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka stands back and slashes it through point for a boundary.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, wide outside off. Dasun Shanaka tries to reach out but misses.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, ! Dasun Shanaka oozing with confidence. Back of a length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka opens the face of the bat late and guides it past backward point for a boundary.Â
Mohammed Siraj to Chamika Karunaratne, A length ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne shuffles across and works it through square leg for a single.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Length ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne pushes it to cover for one. 12 runs off it. The most expensive over by an Indian bowler in this innings.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, BYES! Out of everybody's reach! Back of a length, on off, it flies off the deck. Chamika Karunaratne leaves it alone. Sanju Samson leaps behind the sticks but is unable to collect the ball. It races away to the fine leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Length ball, on leg. Dasun Shanaka tucks it to square leg for one.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! Nicely played! Dasun Shanaka getting into the act now. Full length, on the pads. Dasun Shanaka flicks it through square leg with excellent timing and bags a boundary.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, ! A tough one! It is not easy to take the catch running over the shoulders. Even difficult for a fielder like Ravindra Jadeja. A slower, short ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne stays inside the crease and heaves across the line. The ball take the top-edge and flies towards cover. Ravindra Jadeja chases it and tries to gather the ball with a forward dive but in vain. A single is taken.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Back of a length, on off. Dasun Shanaka dabs it to point and gets across for a quick single. The fielder has a shy but misses, although the batter was well in.
Harshal Patel (2-0-9-1) is back into the attack now.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Beaten! Quicker and flatter, around off. Chamika Karunaratne looks to push it out on the off side but gets beaten.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Flatter, on middle. Shanaka works it towards mid-wicket for one more.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Leg bye! On the pads, Karunaratne looks to turn it on the leg side but misses. The ball goes off the pads and rolls towards short leg. The batters scamper through for a leg bye.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, At 96 clicks and it's the big googly. Starts from outside off and ends on middle stump. Karunaratne is able to block it out.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller this time, on middle. Shanaka eases it down to long on for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Quicker and on off. Karunaratne tucks it 'round the corner for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Good fielding! Down the leg side and Dasun Shanaka sweeps it fine. The ball beats the man at short fine leg but Mohammed Siraj runs to his right and puts in the dive at the fine leg fence to save two runs for his team.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, Shorter this time, on off. Karunaratne backs away and cuts it towards cover for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, Tossed up, on middle. Karunaratne defends it out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, LEG BYES! Tickled away fine and finds the fence. On the pads, and sliding down. Karunaratne looks to flick it away but the ball goes off the pad and runs away fine, into the fine leg fence.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Looped up, full and on leg. Shanaka makes a bit of room and works it through covers for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Shorter, on middle and turning in. Shanaka wrists it towards wide long on for a couple of runs.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, A bumper this time, over middle. Karunaratne ducks under the ball but it dies on its way to the keeper.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Short of a length, on the hips and this is pulled down to deep backward square leg for just another run.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Slower one, fuller and outside off. Karunaratne steers it down to third man for a single.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Around the top of off. Karunaratne defends it out.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TAKEN! Venkatesh Iyer with a blinder and just when a partnership was brewing, Sri Lanka lose another wicket. Harshal Patel is brought back and he starts off with a short and wide one. Dinesh Chandimal rocks back and cuts it ferociously towards point. The ball goes uppishly and at a rate of knots but Venkatesh Iyer is sharp enough to get down in time. The ball eludes his palms but somehow he manages to hold on using his body. Iyer does seem hurt
Chamika Karunaratne is the new man in.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Back of a length, around off. This is played off the back foot past point for a brace.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, On off, this is eased down the ground for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Beaten! Lovely piece of bowling from Kuldeep Yadav. It's the googly this time and it is slowed up significantly. Full, on off and Chandimal is beaten past the outside edge as he looks to drive.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, ! A tad shorter, on middle and turning back in. Dinesh Chandimal has a lot of time to make room and push it through covers. He times it beautifully and Shreyas Iyer cannot keep the ball in play as he races in from the point fence. A boundary.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Shanaka now with the reverse sweep. This is fuller and around leg stump. Shanaka reverses it towards point for a quick single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, around leg. Chandimal nudges it on the leg side for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Floated up, on off. Shanaka gets inside the line of the ball and paddles it down to fine leg. Mohammed Siraj is quick to get across to his right and keeps it down to one.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, A bit slower through the air and tossed up outside off. Dasun Shanaka winds up for the big heave leg side but gets it off the inner half of the bat towards deep mid-wicket. The batters get a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter, around middle. This is turned through mid-wicket for another single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, MISFILED AND A BOUNDARY! Tossed up, full and on the pads. Dasun Shanaka gets low and sweeps it to deep square leg. Mohammed Siraj fumbles in the deep and the ball rolls into the fence. 9 runs off it. Sri Lanka need much more overs like this one.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, This is fuller and on middle. Shanaka drives it down to long on for a run and the 50 comes up for Sri Lanka.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, WIDE! At 93.4 kph and spilled down the leg side. Samson with another good take behind the stumps and a wide is called.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Flighted this time, on off. Chandimal leans in and pushes it down to long off for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Quicker one, on off and skidding through. Chandimal defends it out.
DRINKS! Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan have put India on top of proceedings with their exploits in the Powerplay. Ravi Bishnoi has also picked up a wicket and Sri Lanka are reeling at the moment. The skipper Dasun Shanaka and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal are at the crease and will look to stay on for as long as possible to get to a decent total. A couple of more wickets here and India will have a stranglehold on the match.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Overpitched and punished! On off, beautifully driven through covers for a boundary by Dinesh Chandimal.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it out for an easy single.
Is that a stumping? Sanju Samson has whipped off the bails in a flash and Kuldeep Yadav reckons he has got his man. The catch will also be checked. The ball is close to the outside edge but UltraEdge that there's a clear gap between bat and pad. The replay shows that Samson was quick but Shanaka was quicker and had his back leg grounded before the bails came off. NOT !
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, on off. Dasun Shanaka sweeps it to square leg for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, NOT ! Dasun Shanaka has his back foot on the ground. It is a fuller delivery, around off, it turns away a touch. Dasun Shanaka shuffles across and tries to defend it out but misses. Sanju Samson gathers the ball and is quick to take the bails off. He seems to be excited and thinks Dasun Shanaka had his back leg in the air. The umpire takes it upstairs to confirm. The replays show Dasun Shanaka is safe.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, On off, blocked out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, angling down leg. Dinesh Chandimal gets low and sweeps it to fine leg for three runs.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Floated and full, on off. Dinesh Chandimal drives it down the ground for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, TWO WIDES! Flatter, down leg. Dasun Shanaka stays back and looks to pull it away but misses. Sanju Samson dives to his left to make a half-stop. The batters take a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, on off, turning in. Dasun Shanaka clips it through square leg for a brace.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Flighted, full and on leg. Dasun Shanaka prods and tries to defend it out.
The captain, Dasun Shanaka walks out to bat with his team in a spot of bother.
Ravi Bishnoi to Janith Liyanage, ! TIMBER! Ravi Bishnoi strikes in his very first over. He is enjoying in time in International cricket. What a ripper of a delivery, Janith Liyanage gets beaten all ends up. It is a googly, pitching outside off. Janith Liyanage prods and looks to defend it out but gets beaten by the turn. It spins in a long way and goes through off the inside edge to rattle the stumps.
Ravi Bishnoi to Janith Liyanage, Fuller and outside off. Janith Liyanage leans into the shot and slashes it through covers for a brace.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Looped up, on the pads. Dinesh Chandimal clips it to fine leg for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, on off. Dinesh Chandimal blocks it out solidly.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Tossed up, full and on off. Dinesh Chandimal prods and defends it out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Short and on middle. Dinesh Chandimal makes room and punches it past mid off for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Janith Liyanage, Fuller, on off. Janith Liyanage drives it down the ground for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Janith Liyanage, Flighted, full, around off, turning away with the arm. Janith Liyanage blocks it out watchfully.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, BEATEN! What a ripper! A googly, around off. Dinesh Chandimal leans in to defends it out, but only manages to get beaten on the outside edge.
Spin for the first time tonight as Kuldeep Yadav comes on to bowl.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, Length, on the pads. Janith Liyanage tucks it to the leg side for another single. A tidy start by Harshal Patel. It's been a while since Sri Lanka got their last boundary.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, Length, on off. Dinesh Chandimal drives it past extra cover and gets across for a single.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, A length ball, on middle and leg. Dinesh Chandimal looks to work it away to the leg side but gets it into the deck off the bottom end. He rotates in his crease, as he is unaware where the ball landed.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, WIDE! Back of a length, on off. It bounces off the deck. Dinesh Chandimal sways away from the line. The umpire thinks it goes above the head and signals a wide.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, LEG BYE! On a length, on leg. Janith Liyanage tries to flick it away but misses. It goes off his pads to the left of the keeper. They cross for a leg bye.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, A length ball, outside off. Dinesh Chandimal stays back and defends it to point. He takes on Ravindra Jadeja and makes it safely to the other end.
Harshal Patel is now brought into the attack.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, Harshal Patel starts with a full one, angled down leg. Janith Liyanage stays back and flicks it to square leg for one.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, Sri Lanka are 18/3 at the end of Powerplay. This is full and on the pads. Janith Liyanage flicks it to mid-wicket for a quick single. Avesh Khan's figure read 3-1-4-2 so far. This is an incredible stat.Â
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, around off. Dinesh Chandimal guides it towards third man for one.
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, A sharp bouncer, on off. Dinesh Chandimal was set to hook it away but ends up ducking under it.Â
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, LEG BYE! A length ball, on the pads. Janith Liyanage stays inside the crease, tries to flick it away but misses. It goes off his pads and the batters take a leg bye.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, A length ball, on the stumps. Janith Liyanage blocks it out solidly.Â
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, A full-length ball, on off. Dinesh Chandimal steps across and flicks it towards mid on for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Sri Lanka struggling here! This is banged in short over middle stump. Janith Liyanage ducks under the ball and just 3 singles come off the over.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, This is angled into the body. Chandimal pulls it awkwardly towards square leg for one.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Length again, outside off. Liyanage looks to drive but edges it past the slip cordon and down to third man for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, Direct-hit and it would have been curtains for Dinesh Chandimal! Back of a length, on off. Chandimal hops and dabs it towards covers. There's a little mix-up between the batters but they eventually go for the single. Deepak Hooda misses the shy at the bowler's end and Chandimal survives.
Dinesh Chandimal comes in at number 5.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, Right on the money! Chandimal defends the length ball towards mid off.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, A touch fuller, around off and shaping away nicely. Chandimal makes a watchful leave.
Avesh Khan to Charith Asalanka, ! TAKEN! Sanju Samson with a very well-judged catch and Charith Asalanka now has to walk back! Dot balls create pressure and both the opening bowlers for India have done well to keep on the pressure. This is angled across the left-hander. Charith Asalanka looks to break the shackles and has a swipe across the line. His feet don't move and he is late in his shot. The ball skies off the top edge around the leg slip region. The keeper, Sanju Samson keeps
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, Around the top of off, Liyanage hops on the back foot and jams it out towards mid off for a quick single.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, On off, Liyanage leans in to defend it out on the off side.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, The dot balls continue to rise up! Short of a length, outside off and shaping away a bit. Liyanage sways away from the line of the ball.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, A hint of away movement now. Outside off, Liyanage looks to drive on the up but is well beaten.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, On a length, on off and nipping back in a bit off the surface. Janith Liyanage is caught on the crease but manages to block it out.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, Another play and a miss! Length this time, slanting across the left-hander. Asalanka looks to drive but misses.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, A spicy bouncer now. This is bowled on off and is angling away. Charith Asalanka tries to get some bat on it but is beaten once again.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, Good comeback! Fullish again, closer to the off pole. Asalanka looks to push at it but gets beaten past the outside edge.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, ! Width on offer and punished. Full and wide, Charith Asalanka slashes at it and gets it behind point for a boundary.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, A touch fuller, on off. Liyanage bunts it out on the off side for a quick single.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Close but not close enough! A length ball, on off and this is nipping back in sharply off the surface. Janith Liyanage gets pinged on the pads as he looks to block it out. Mohammed Siraj is interested. India do go for the review eventually and UltraEdge confirms there's no bat on it. Ball Tracker shows that the ball was missing the top of off by a few inches. The original call of NOT stands and India lose a review early on.
Janith Liyanage is the new man in.
Avesh Khan to Charith Asalanka, On off, Asalanka defends it out.Â
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, ! TAKEN! Pathum Nissanka now perishes and Sri Lanka off to a catastrophic start here. Nissanka was getting bogged down and the pressure got to him. This is a bit pitched up, on off. Nissanka backs away and looks to lifts it over the long off fence but gets it off the toe end. The ball flies towards the edge of the circle around the mid off region and Venkatesh Iyer comes in from the long off fence to take a good catch. First international wicket for Aves
Charith Asalanka is the new man in.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, A bit of width on offer, Nissanka thumps it straight towards the man at cover.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, LEG BYES! Unlucky! A length ball, around middle and this one jags back in late and a long way as well. Pathum Nissanka makes a bit of room but gets beaten for pace. The ball goes off the pads and past the stumps, into the third man fence.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, Length this time, outside off and shaping away. Nissanka looks to thrash it through covers but misses.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, Fullish delivery, sliding into the pads. Nissanka looks to flick it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. Khan appeals but the umpire says no.
Mohammed Siraj to Danushka Gunathilaka, ! Chopped on! Danushka Gunathilaka looks to start off with a bang but instead walks back for a golden duck. Mohammed Siraj bangs it in short, over 140 clicks and around the off pole. Gunathilaka hangs deep and doesn't move his feet. He looks to pull but the ball hurries on and Gunathilaka gets an inside edge. The ball goes on to hit the off stump and Siraj has provided India with a brilliant start.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Pathum Nissanka and Sri Lanka are underway. Good-length, angled into the body. Nissanka makes a bit of room and dabs it down to third man for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Siraj starts off with a good length ball, around off and shaping away. Pathum Nissanka guides it nicely to the left of point where Ravindra Jadeja makes a brilliant diving stop.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Four dots in a row now! Around the top of off, at 137.6 clicks. Nissanka bunts it towards Jadeja at point and wants the single. His partner, Danushka Gunathilaka doesn't want to risk it against Jadeja.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Length again, angled into middle and leg. Nissanka defends it on the leg side.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Extra bit of bounce and lovely late movement as well. This is angled in on off stump and the ball moves away late off the surface. Pathum Nissanka is beaten all ends up.
We are moments away from the start of the match! The Indian players spread out on the field as the Sri Lankan openers, Pathum Nissanka and Danushka Gunathilaka take guard. Mohammed Siraj has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Ravindra Jadeja is in for a quick chat. Jadeja says that he is very happy to be back after two months and is also happy to bat wherever the team requires him to. He adds that he practiced at the NCA in Bangalore and got enough time to recover. When he was recovering, mentally he was always trying to stay focused on his return. Mentions that even when he was injured, he kept running in order to stay in shape and then slowly and steadily got better.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Janith Liyanage (In for Praveen Jayawickrama), Dasun Shanaka (C), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay (In for Kamil Mishara), Binura Fernando and Lahiru Kumara.
India (Playing XI) - Rohit Sharma (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (WK), Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav (In for Ishan Kishan), Mohammed Siraj (In for Bhuvneshwar Kumar), Avesh Khan (In for Jasprit Bumrah) and Ravi Bishnoi (In for Yuzvendra Chahal).
India captain, Rohit Sharma says that they wanted to bowl first as well and want to keep challenging themselves as a team. He adds that Ishan has been ruled out and they do not want to take any chances. Alongside him, Bhuvi, Bumrah and Chahal all go out. Bishnoi, Kuldeep, Avesh and Siraj come in tonight. On being India's most capped T20I player he says that it's always a beautiful feeling representing your country and will look to do his best.
Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lankan skipper, is for a chat. He says, they will bat first. It looks like the conditions are good to bat on. Mentions, there are a couple of changes to their side and will look to end the series with a win.
TOSS - Up goes the flip of the coin and it lands in favour of Sri Lanka and they will have a BAT first.
... MATCH DAY ...
Hello and a warm welcome to the third T20I game between India and Sri Lanka. This is the final game of the series with India having sealed it with 2-0. Will the hosts continue their dominance? Or will the visitors be able to take away a consolation win? We shall find out soon.
In the recent games, the Indian middle-order has been going bonkers and racking up runs at a brisk rate. The camp would hope the batters continue on their merry way and provide a helping hand in completing the whitewash. The bowling though needs an improvement from the last match as the Indian bowlers leaked a lot of runs at the death.
Sri Lankan batters did showcase their aggressive hitting with the blade once they got their eye in. It wasn't a lone-fought battle, unlike the first game and Sri Lanka will expect the batters to keep up the good work. We might see some changes in the bowling department though, as the visitors still hunt for their deadly mix. An exciting contest awaits. Stay tuned for the toss.
PITCH REPORT - Deepdas Gupta is alongside Rusell Arnold. DDS says that the pitch is a different one and hence the dimensions change as well. Arnold says there's less grass on this pitch but it is still hard and there are a few areas on which if the ball pitches, the batters might be troubled. It is a bit dry so the spinners will have a better day than yesterday. DDS adds that the pacers will still get a lot of bounce and 180 is what the side batting first will be looking for.
8
Diabytes
India
148/4(16.5 Overs)
India were off to a flying start with the ball. Their opening bowling pair of Avesh Khan and Mohammed Siraj kept them on top of the proceedings. Avesh Khan picked up a brace while Mohammed Siraj chipped in with a single wicket inside the Powerplay. Soon, Ravi Bishnoi got himself into the wicket's coulmn as well.
... The Run Chase ...
Right then. India need 149 runs to make it 3-0.
India had Sri Lanka by the scruff off the neck, but it was Dasun Shanakaâs late revival that helped Sri Lanka to avoid an embarrassing total. India would be extremely gutted to see Sri Lanka end with 146 runs on the board. Although, after the batting excellence showcased in the last game, India would certainly back their bowlers to complete the clean sweep, but it won't be so easy.
This Sri Lankan innings was no where near the last game, barring Dasun Shanaka. The skipper truly played a captainâs knock and did really well to steady the ship. Sri Lanka were off to a catastrophic start as they were reeling at 29/4. It looked like Sri Lanka would get budled out under the 100-run mark. But Dasun Shanaka clearly had other ideas. The skipper was the back bone of the innings with his 74 off 38 balls. He has given his bowlers something to fight for.Â
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A dot ball to finish! Banged in short and wide but the pace is taken off the ball. Dasun Shanaka tries to hang back and ramp it over short third man but the ball is a bit out of his reach. Sri Lanka finish with 146/5!
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! Banged in short, down the leg side. Dasun Shanaka goes for the pull and gets a tickle on it. The ball goes fine and runs away into the fine leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A length ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka looks to chase it but misses.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A short ball, on off. Dasun Shanaka pulls it to deep square leg for a brace.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! One-handed maximum now by Dasun Shanaka! He is putting on a show here. Back of a length, on the body and its slower again. Shanaka goes through with the pull and manages to get it all the way over the square leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Nicely bowled! Slower delivery, full and close to the off pole. Dasun Shanaka looks to smoke it over the long on fence but gets undone by the lack of pace.
Harshal Patel (3-0-17-1) to bowl the final over of the innings.
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, Slower one, length and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne swings wildly but there is a huge gap between the bat and the ball.Â
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, Fuller, on middle and leg. Chamika Karunaratne flicks it to mid-wicket for one. There is an overthrow and the batters sneak another run.
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, WIDE! Pressure on the bowler. Second wide of the over. Fuller, wide outside off and outside the tramline. Chamika Karunaratne leaves it alone. Wide called.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, Full length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka works it through point for a single.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! BANG! Even the crowd is enjoying this brilliant knock by Dasun Shanaka. A low full toss, on off. Dasun Shanaka stays back and muscles it over the long on fence.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, WIDE! Back of a length, well outside off. Dasun Shanaka looks to uppercut it away but misses. Wide called.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! A short ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka hangs back and cuts it square on the off side for a boundary.Â
Avesh Khan (3-1-4-2) to bowl the penultimate over.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! FIFTY FOR SHANAKA! It comes off 29 balls. In the second game it was 47 off 19. He is on a roll. Full length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka gets under it and lifts it over the bowler's head for a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Full and on leg. Dasun Shanaka gets low and sweeps it to square leg for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, ! Back-to-back boundaries. Dasun Shanaka is hungry for more. Full length, wide outside off. Dasun Shanaka reaches out and lofts it over the infield on the off side for a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, ! A commanding shot! Tossed up, full and outside off. Dasun Shanaka comes down the track and lofts it over mid off to bag a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Flighted, full and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne slaps it to long on for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Another single! Quicker, flatter and on leg. Dasun Shanaka steps forward and pushes it down the ground towards mid on and takes an easy single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Tossed up, full and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne pushes it to cover for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, Length, on middle and leg. Dasun Shanaka stays on the leg side of the ball and drags his pull shot to mid-wicket for a couple more. Runs are coming in at a good rate for Sri Lanka now.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, A length ball, on the pads. Dasun Shanaka flicks it through mid-wicket for a brace.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, ! Second boundary off the over. Dasun Shanaka is looking in control here. A length ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka stands back and slashes it through point for a boundary.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, wide outside off. Dasun Shanaka tries to reach out but misses.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, ! Dasun Shanaka oozing with confidence. Back of a length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka opens the face of the bat late and guides it past backward point for a boundary.Â
Mohammed Siraj to Chamika Karunaratne, A length ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne shuffles across and works it through square leg for a single.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Length ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne pushes it to cover for one. 12 runs off it. The most expensive over by an Indian bowler in this innings.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, BYES! Out of everybody's reach! Back of a length, on off, it flies off the deck. Chamika Karunaratne leaves it alone. Sanju Samson leaps behind the sticks but is unable to collect the ball. It races away to the fine leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Length ball, on leg. Dasun Shanaka tucks it to square leg for one.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! Nicely played! Dasun Shanaka getting into the act now. Full length, on the pads. Dasun Shanaka flicks it through square leg with excellent timing and bags a boundary.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, ! A tough one! It is not easy to take the catch running over the shoulders. Even difficult for a fielder like Ravindra Jadeja. A slower, short ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne stays inside the crease and heaves across the line. The ball take the top-edge and flies towards cover. Ravindra Jadeja chases it and tries to gather the ball with a forward dive but in vain. A single is taken.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Back of a length, on off. Dasun Shanaka dabs it to point and gets across for a quick single. The fielder has a shy but misses, although the batter was well in.
Harshal Patel (2-0-9-1) is back into the attack now.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Beaten! Quicker and flatter, around off. Chamika Karunaratne looks to push it out on the off side but gets beaten.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Flatter, on middle. Shanaka works it towards mid-wicket for one more.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Leg bye! On the pads, Karunaratne looks to turn it on the leg side but misses. The ball goes off the pads and rolls towards short leg. The batters scamper through for a leg bye.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, At 96 clicks and it's the big googly. Starts from outside off and ends on middle stump. Karunaratne is able to block it out.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller this time, on middle. Shanaka eases it down to long on for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Quicker and on off. Karunaratne tucks it 'round the corner for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Good fielding! Down the leg side and Dasun Shanaka sweeps it fine. The ball beats the man at short fine leg but Mohammed Siraj runs to his right and puts in the dive at the fine leg fence to save two runs for his team.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, Shorter this time, on off. Karunaratne backs away and cuts it towards cover for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, Tossed up, on middle. Karunaratne defends it out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, LEG BYES! Tickled away fine and finds the fence. On the pads, and sliding down. Karunaratne looks to flick it away but the ball goes off the pad and runs away fine, into the fine leg fence.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Looped up, full and on leg. Shanaka makes a bit of room and works it through covers for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Shorter, on middle and turning in. Shanaka wrists it towards wide long on for a couple of runs.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, A bumper this time, over middle. Karunaratne ducks under the ball but it dies on its way to the keeper.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Short of a length, on the hips and this is pulled down to deep backward square leg for just another run.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Slower one, fuller and outside off. Karunaratne steers it down to third man for a single.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Around the top of off. Karunaratne defends it out.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TAKEN! Venkatesh Iyer with a blinder and just when a partnership was brewing, Sri Lanka lose another wicket. Harshal Patel is brought back and he starts off with a short and wide one. Dinesh Chandimal rocks back and cuts it ferociously towards point. The ball goes uppishly and at a rate of knots but Venkatesh Iyer is sharp enough to get down in time. The ball eludes his palms but somehow he manages to hold on using his body. Iyer does seem hurt
Chamika Karunaratne is the new man in.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Back of a length, around off. This is played off the back foot past point for a brace.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, On off, this is eased down the ground for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Beaten! Lovely piece of bowling from Kuldeep Yadav. It's the googly this time and it is slowed up significantly. Full, on off and Chandimal is beaten past the outside edge as he looks to drive.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, ! A tad shorter, on middle and turning back in. Dinesh Chandimal has a lot of time to make room and push it through covers. He times it beautifully and Shreyas Iyer cannot keep the ball in play as he races in from the point fence. A boundary.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Shanaka now with the reverse sweep. This is fuller and around leg stump. Shanaka reverses it towards point for a quick single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, around leg. Chandimal nudges it on the leg side for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Floated up, on off. Shanaka gets inside the line of the ball and paddles it down to fine leg. Mohammed Siraj is quick to get across to his right and keeps it down to one.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, A bit slower through the air and tossed up outside off. Dasun Shanaka winds up for the big heave leg side but gets it off the inner half of the bat towards deep mid-wicket. The batters get a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter, around middle. This is turned through mid-wicket for another single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, MISFILED AND A BOUNDARY! Tossed up, full and on the pads. Dasun Shanaka gets low and sweeps it to deep square leg. Mohammed Siraj fumbles in the deep and the ball rolls into the fence. 9 runs off it. Sri Lanka need much more overs like this one.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, This is fuller and on middle. Shanaka drives it down to long on for a run and the 50 comes up for Sri Lanka.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, WIDE! At 93.4 kph and spilled down the leg side. Samson with another good take behind the stumps and a wide is called.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Flighted this time, on off. Chandimal leans in and pushes it down to long off for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Quicker one, on off and skidding through. Chandimal defends it out.
DRINKS! Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan have put India on top of proceedings with their exploits in the Powerplay. Ravi Bishnoi has also picked up a wicket and Sri Lanka are reeling at the moment. The skipper Dasun Shanaka and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal are at the crease and will look to stay on for as long as possible to get to a decent total. A couple of more wickets here and India will have a stranglehold on the match.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Overpitched and punished! On off, beautifully driven through covers for a boundary by Dinesh Chandimal.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it out for an easy single.
Is that a stumping? Sanju Samson has whipped off the bails in a flash and Kuldeep Yadav reckons he has got his man. The catch will also be checked. The ball is close to the outside edge but UltraEdge that there's a clear gap between bat and pad. The replay shows that Samson was quick but Shanaka was quicker and had his back leg grounded before the bails came off. NOT !
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, on off. Dasun Shanaka sweeps it to square leg for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, NOT ! Dasun Shanaka has his back foot on the ground. It is a fuller delivery, around off, it turns away a touch. Dasun Shanaka shuffles across and tries to defend it out but misses. Sanju Samson gathers the ball and is quick to take the bails off. He seems to be excited and thinks Dasun Shanaka had his back leg in the air. The umpire takes it upstairs to confirm. The replays show Dasun Shanaka is safe.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, On off, blocked out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, angling down leg. Dinesh Chandimal gets low and sweeps it to fine leg for three runs.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Floated and full, on off. Dinesh Chandimal drives it down the ground for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, TWO WIDES! Flatter, down leg. Dasun Shanaka stays back and looks to pull it away but misses. Sanju Samson dives to his left to make a half-stop. The batters take a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, on off, turning in. Dasun Shanaka clips it through square leg for a brace.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Flighted, full and on leg. Dasun Shanaka prods and tries to defend it out.
The captain, Dasun Shanaka walks out to bat with his team in a spot of bother.
Ravi Bishnoi to Janith Liyanage, ! TIMBER! Ravi Bishnoi strikes in his very first over. He is enjoying in time in International cricket. What a ripper of a delivery, Janith Liyanage gets beaten all ends up. It is a googly, pitching outside off. Janith Liyanage prods and looks to defend it out but gets beaten by the turn. It spins in a long way and goes through off the inside edge to rattle the stumps.
Ravi Bishnoi to Janith Liyanage, Fuller and outside off. Janith Liyanage leans into the shot and slashes it through covers for a brace.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Looped up, on the pads. Dinesh Chandimal clips it to fine leg for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, on off. Dinesh Chandimal blocks it out solidly.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Tossed up, full and on off. Dinesh Chandimal prods and defends it out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Short and on middle. Dinesh Chandimal makes room and punches it past mid off for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Janith Liyanage, Fuller, on off. Janith Liyanage drives it down the ground for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Janith Liyanage, Flighted, full, around off, turning away with the arm. Janith Liyanage blocks it out watchfully.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, BEATEN! What a ripper! A googly, around off. Dinesh Chandimal leans in to defends it out, but only manages to get beaten on the outside edge.
Spin for the first time tonight as Kuldeep Yadav comes on to bowl.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, Length, on the pads. Janith Liyanage tucks it to the leg side for another single. A tidy start by Harshal Patel. It's been a while since Sri Lanka got their last boundary.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, Length, on off. Dinesh Chandimal drives it past extra cover and gets across for a single.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, A length ball, on middle and leg. Dinesh Chandimal looks to work it away to the leg side but gets it into the deck off the bottom end. He rotates in his crease, as he is unaware where the ball landed.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, WIDE! Back of a length, on off. It bounces off the deck. Dinesh Chandimal sways away from the line. The umpire thinks it goes above the head and signals a wide.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, LEG BYE! On a length, on leg. Janith Liyanage tries to flick it away but misses. It goes off his pads to the left of the keeper. They cross for a leg bye.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, A length ball, outside off. Dinesh Chandimal stays back and defends it to point. He takes on Ravindra Jadeja and makes it safely to the other end.
Harshal Patel is now brought into the attack.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, Harshal Patel starts with a full one, angled down leg. Janith Liyanage stays back and flicks it to square leg for one.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, Sri Lanka are 18/3 at the end of Powerplay. This is full and on the pads. Janith Liyanage flicks it to mid-wicket for a quick single. Avesh Khan's figure read 3-1-4-2 so far. This is an incredible stat.Â
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, around off. Dinesh Chandimal guides it towards third man for one.
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, A sharp bouncer, on off. Dinesh Chandimal was set to hook it away but ends up ducking under it.Â
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, LEG BYE! A length ball, on the pads. Janith Liyanage stays inside the crease, tries to flick it away but misses. It goes off his pads and the batters take a leg bye.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, A length ball, on the stumps. Janith Liyanage blocks it out solidly.Â
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, A full-length ball, on off. Dinesh Chandimal steps across and flicks it towards mid on for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Sri Lanka struggling here! This is banged in short over middle stump. Janith Liyanage ducks under the ball and just 3 singles come off the over.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, This is angled into the body. Chandimal pulls it awkwardly towards square leg for one.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Length again, outside off. Liyanage looks to drive but edges it past the slip cordon and down to third man for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, Direct-hit and it would have been curtains for Dinesh Chandimal! Back of a length, on off. Chandimal hops and dabs it towards covers. There's a little mix-up between the batters but they eventually go for the single. Deepak Hooda misses the shy at the bowler's end and Chandimal survives.
Dinesh Chandimal comes in at number 5.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, Right on the money! Chandimal defends the length ball towards mid off.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, A touch fuller, around off and shaping away nicely. Chandimal makes a watchful leave.
Avesh Khan to Charith Asalanka, ! TAKEN! Sanju Samson with a very well-judged catch and Charith Asalanka now has to walk back! Dot balls create pressure and both the opening bowlers for India have done well to keep on the pressure. This is angled across the left-hander. Charith Asalanka looks to break the shackles and has a swipe across the line. His feet don't move and he is late in his shot. The ball skies off the top edge around the leg slip region. The keeper, Sanju Samson keeps
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, Around the top of off, Liyanage hops on the back foot and jams it out towards mid off for a quick single.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, On off, Liyanage leans in to defend it out on the off side.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, The dot balls continue to rise up! Short of a length, outside off and shaping away a bit. Liyanage sways away from the line of the ball.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, A hint of away movement now. Outside off, Liyanage looks to drive on the up but is well beaten.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, On a length, on off and nipping back in a bit off the surface. Janith Liyanage is caught on the crease but manages to block it out.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, Another play and a miss! Length this time, slanting across the left-hander. Asalanka looks to drive but misses.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, A spicy bouncer now. This is bowled on off and is angling away. Charith Asalanka tries to get some bat on it but is beaten once again.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, Good comeback! Fullish again, closer to the off pole. Asalanka looks to push at it but gets beaten past the outside edge.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, ! Width on offer and punished. Full and wide, Charith Asalanka slashes at it and gets it behind point for a boundary.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, A touch fuller, on off. Liyanage bunts it out on the off side for a quick single.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Close but not close enough! A length ball, on off and this is nipping back in sharply off the surface. Janith Liyanage gets pinged on the pads as he looks to block it out. Mohammed Siraj is interested. India do go for the review eventually and UltraEdge confirms there's no bat on it. Ball Tracker shows that the ball was missing the top of off by a few inches. The original call of NOT stands and India lose a review early on.
Janith Liyanage is the new man in.
Avesh Khan to Charith Asalanka, On off, Asalanka defends it out.Â
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, ! TAKEN! Pathum Nissanka now perishes and Sri Lanka off to a catastrophic start here. Nissanka was getting bogged down and the pressure got to him. This is a bit pitched up, on off. Nissanka backs away and looks to lifts it over the long off fence but gets it off the toe end. The ball flies towards the edge of the circle around the mid off region and Venkatesh Iyer comes in from the long off fence to take a good catch. First international wicket for Aves
Charith Asalanka is the new man in.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, A bit of width on offer, Nissanka thumps it straight towards the man at cover.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, LEG BYES! Unlucky! A length ball, around middle and this one jags back in late and a long way as well. Pathum Nissanka makes a bit of room but gets beaten for pace. The ball goes off the pads and past the stumps, into the third man fence.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, Length this time, outside off and shaping away. Nissanka looks to thrash it through covers but misses.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, Fullish delivery, sliding into the pads. Nissanka looks to flick it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. Khan appeals but the umpire says no.
Mohammed Siraj to Danushka Gunathilaka, ! Chopped on! Danushka Gunathilaka looks to start off with a bang but instead walks back for a golden duck. Mohammed Siraj bangs it in short, over 140 clicks and around the off pole. Gunathilaka hangs deep and doesn't move his feet. He looks to pull but the ball hurries on and Gunathilaka gets an inside edge. The ball goes on to hit the off stump and Siraj has provided India with a brilliant start.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Pathum Nissanka and Sri Lanka are underway. Good-length, angled into the body. Nissanka makes a bit of room and dabs it down to third man for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Siraj starts off with a good length ball, around off and shaping away. Pathum Nissanka guides it nicely to the left of point where Ravindra Jadeja makes a brilliant diving stop.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Four dots in a row now! Around the top of off, at 137.6 clicks. Nissanka bunts it towards Jadeja at point and wants the single. His partner, Danushka Gunathilaka doesn't want to risk it against Jadeja.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Length again, angled into middle and leg. Nissanka defends it on the leg side.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Extra bit of bounce and lovely late movement as well. This is angled in on off stump and the ball moves away late off the surface. Pathum Nissanka is beaten all ends up.
We are moments away from the start of the match! The Indian players spread out on the field as the Sri Lankan openers, Pathum Nissanka and Danushka Gunathilaka take guard. Mohammed Siraj has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Ravindra Jadeja is in for a quick chat. Jadeja says that he is very happy to be back after two months and is also happy to bat wherever the team requires him to. He adds that he practiced at the NCA in Bangalore and got enough time to recover. When he was recovering, mentally he was always trying to stay focused on his return. Mentions that even when he was injured, he kept running in order to stay in shape and then slowly and steadily got better.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Janith Liyanage (In for Praveen Jayawickrama), Dasun Shanaka (C), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay (In for Kamil Mishara), Binura Fernando and Lahiru Kumara.
India (Playing XI) - Rohit Sharma (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (WK), Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav (In for Ishan Kishan), Mohammed Siraj (In for Bhuvneshwar Kumar), Avesh Khan (In for Jasprit Bumrah) and Ravi Bishnoi (In for Yuzvendra Chahal).
India captain, Rohit Sharma says that they wanted to bowl first as well and want to keep challenging themselves as a team. He adds that Ishan has been ruled out and they do not want to take any chances. Alongside him, Bhuvi, Bumrah and Chahal all go out. Bishnoi, Kuldeep, Avesh and Siraj come in tonight. On being India's most capped T20I player he says that it's always a beautiful feeling representing your country and will look to do his best.
Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lankan skipper, is for a chat. He says, they will bat first. It looks like the conditions are good to bat on. Mentions, there are a couple of changes to their side and will look to end the series with a win.
TOSS - Up goes the flip of the coin and it lands in favour of Sri Lanka and they will have a BAT first.
... MATCH DAY ...
Hello and a warm welcome to the third T20I game between India and Sri Lanka. This is the final game of the series with India having sealed it with 2-0. Will the hosts continue their dominance? Or will the visitors be able to take away a consolation win? We shall find out soon.
In the recent games, the Indian middle-order has been going bonkers and racking up runs at a brisk rate. The camp would hope the batters continue on their merry way and provide a helping hand in completing the whitewash. The bowling though needs an improvement from the last match as the Indian bowlers leaked a lot of runs at the death.
Sri Lankan batters did showcase their aggressive hitting with the blade once they got their eye in. It wasn't a lone-fought battle, unlike the first game and Sri Lanka will expect the batters to keep up the good work. We might see some changes in the bowling department though, as the visitors still hunt for their deadly mix. An exciting contest awaits. Stay tuned for the toss.
PITCH REPORT - Deepdas Gupta is alongside Rusell Arnold. DDS says that the pitch is a different one and hence the dimensions change as well. Arnold says there's less grass on this pitch but it is still hard and there are a few areas on which if the ball pitches, the batters might be troubled. It is a bit dry so the spinners will have a better day than yesterday. DDS adds that the pacers will still get a lot of bounce and 180 is what the side batting first will be looking for.
India were off to a flying start with the ball. Their opening bowling pair of Avesh Khan and Mohammed Siraj kept them on top of the proceedings. Avesh Khan picked up a brace while Mohammed Siraj chipped in with a single wicket inside the Powerplay. Soon, Ravi Bishnoi got himself into the wicket's coulmn as well.
... The Run Chase ...
Right then. India need 149 runs to make it 3-0.
India had Sri Lanka by the scruff off the neck, but it was Dasun Shanakaâs late revival that helped Sri Lanka to avoid an embarrassing total. India would be extremely gutted to see Sri Lanka end with 146 runs on the board. Although, after the batting excellence showcased in the last game, India would certainly back their bowlers to complete the clean sweep, but it won't be so easy.
This Sri Lankan innings was no where near the last game, barring Dasun Shanaka. The skipper truly played a captainâs knock and did really well to steady the ship. Sri Lanka were off to a catastrophic start as they were reeling at 29/4. It looked like Sri Lanka would get budled out under the 100-run mark. But Dasun Shanaka clearly had other ideas. The skipper was the back bone of the innings with his 74 off 38 balls. He has given his bowlers something to fight for.Â
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A dot ball to finish! Banged in short and wide but the pace is taken off the ball. Dasun Shanaka tries to hang back and ramp it over short third man but the ball is a bit out of his reach. Sri Lanka finish with 146/5!
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! Banged in short, down the leg side. Dasun Shanaka goes for the pull and gets a tickle on it. The ball goes fine and runs away into the fine leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A length ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka looks to chase it but misses.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, A short ball, on off. Dasun Shanaka pulls it to deep square leg for a brace.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! One-handed maximum now by Dasun Shanaka! He is putting on a show here. Back of a length, on the body and its slower again. Shanaka goes through with the pull and manages to get it all the way over the square leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Nicely bowled! Slower delivery, full and close to the off pole. Dasun Shanaka looks to smoke it over the long on fence but gets undone by the lack of pace.
Harshal Patel (3-0-17-1) to bowl the final over of the innings.
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, Slower one, length and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne swings wildly but there is a huge gap between the bat and the ball.Â
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, Fuller, on middle and leg. Chamika Karunaratne flicks it to mid-wicket for one. There is an overthrow and the batters sneak another run.
Avesh Khan to Chamika Karunaratne, WIDE! Pressure on the bowler. Second wide of the over. Fuller, wide outside off and outside the tramline. Chamika Karunaratne leaves it alone. Wide called.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, Full length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka works it through point for a single.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! BANG! Even the crowd is enjoying this brilliant knock by Dasun Shanaka. A low full toss, on off. Dasun Shanaka stays back and muscles it over the long on fence.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, WIDE! Back of a length, well outside off. Dasun Shanaka looks to uppercut it away but misses. Wide called.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! A short ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka hangs back and cuts it square on the off side for a boundary.Â
Avesh Khan (3-1-4-2) to bowl the penultimate over.
Avesh Khan to Dasun Shanaka, ! FIFTY FOR SHANAKA! It comes off 29 balls. In the second game it was 47 off 19. He is on a roll. Full length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka gets under it and lifts it over the bowler's head for a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Full and on leg. Dasun Shanaka gets low and sweeps it to square leg for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, ! Back-to-back boundaries. Dasun Shanaka is hungry for more. Full length, wide outside off. Dasun Shanaka reaches out and lofts it over the infield on the off side for a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, ! A commanding shot! Tossed up, full and outside off. Dasun Shanaka comes down the track and lofts it over mid off to bag a boundary.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Flighted, full and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne slaps it to long on for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Another single! Quicker, flatter and on leg. Dasun Shanaka steps forward and pushes it down the ground towards mid on and takes an easy single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Tossed up, full and outside off. Chamika Karunaratne pushes it to cover for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, Length, on middle and leg. Dasun Shanaka stays on the leg side of the ball and drags his pull shot to mid-wicket for a couple more. Runs are coming in at a good rate for Sri Lanka now.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, A length ball, on the pads. Dasun Shanaka flicks it through mid-wicket for a brace.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, ! Second boundary off the over. Dasun Shanaka is looking in control here. A length ball, outside off. Dasun Shanaka stands back and slashes it through point for a boundary.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, wide outside off. Dasun Shanaka tries to reach out but misses.
Mohammed Siraj to Dasun Shanaka, ! Dasun Shanaka oozing with confidence. Back of a length, outside off. Dasun Shanaka opens the face of the bat late and guides it past backward point for a boundary.Â
Mohammed Siraj to Chamika Karunaratne, A length ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne shuffles across and works it through square leg for a single.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Length ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne pushes it to cover for one. 12 runs off it. The most expensive over by an Indian bowler in this innings.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, BYES! Out of everybody's reach! Back of a length, on off, it flies off the deck. Chamika Karunaratne leaves it alone. Sanju Samson leaps behind the sticks but is unable to collect the ball. It races away to the fine leg fence.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Length ball, on leg. Dasun Shanaka tucks it to square leg for one.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, ! Nicely played! Dasun Shanaka getting into the act now. Full length, on the pads. Dasun Shanaka flicks it through square leg with excellent timing and bags a boundary.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, ! A tough one! It is not easy to take the catch running over the shoulders. Even difficult for a fielder like Ravindra Jadeja. A slower, short ball, on off. Chamika Karunaratne stays inside the crease and heaves across the line. The ball take the top-edge and flies towards cover. Ravindra Jadeja chases it and tries to gather the ball with a forward dive but in vain. A single is taken.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Back of a length, on off. Dasun Shanaka dabs it to point and gets across for a quick single. The fielder has a shy but misses, although the batter was well in.
Harshal Patel (2-0-9-1) is back into the attack now.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Beaten! Quicker and flatter, around off. Chamika Karunaratne looks to push it out on the off side but gets beaten.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Flatter, on middle. Shanaka works it towards mid-wicket for one more.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Leg bye! On the pads, Karunaratne looks to turn it on the leg side but misses. The ball goes off the pads and rolls towards short leg. The batters scamper through for a leg bye.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, At 96 clicks and it's the big googly. Starts from outside off and ends on middle stump. Karunaratne is able to block it out.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller this time, on middle. Shanaka eases it down to long on for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Chamika Karunaratne, Quicker and on off. Karunaratne tucks it 'round the corner for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Good fielding! Down the leg side and Dasun Shanaka sweeps it fine. The ball beats the man at short fine leg but Mohammed Siraj runs to his right and puts in the dive at the fine leg fence to save two runs for his team.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, Shorter this time, on off. Karunaratne backs away and cuts it towards cover for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, Tossed up, on middle. Karunaratne defends it out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Chamika Karunaratne, LEG BYES! Tickled away fine and finds the fence. On the pads, and sliding down. Karunaratne looks to flick it away but the ball goes off the pad and runs away fine, into the fine leg fence.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Looped up, full and on leg. Shanaka makes a bit of room and works it through covers for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Shorter, on middle and turning in. Shanaka wrists it towards wide long on for a couple of runs.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, A bumper this time, over middle. Karunaratne ducks under the ball but it dies on its way to the keeper.
Harshal Patel to Dasun Shanaka, Short of a length, on the hips and this is pulled down to deep backward square leg for just another run.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Slower one, fuller and outside off. Karunaratne steers it down to third man for a single.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Around the top of off. Karunaratne defends it out.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, ! TAKEN! Venkatesh Iyer with a blinder and just when a partnership was brewing, Sri Lanka lose another wicket. Harshal Patel is brought back and he starts off with a short and wide one. Dinesh Chandimal rocks back and cuts it ferociously towards point. The ball goes uppishly and at a rate of knots but Venkatesh Iyer is sharp enough to get down in time. The ball eludes his palms but somehow he manages to hold on using his body. Iyer does seem hurt
Chamika Karunaratne is the new man in.
Harshal Patel to Chamika Karunaratne, Back of a length, around off. This is played off the back foot past point for a brace.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, On off, this is eased down the ground for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Beaten! Lovely piece of bowling from Kuldeep Yadav. It's the googly this time and it is slowed up significantly. Full, on off and Chandimal is beaten past the outside edge as he looks to drive.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, ! A tad shorter, on middle and turning back in. Dinesh Chandimal has a lot of time to make room and push it through covers. He times it beautifully and Shreyas Iyer cannot keep the ball in play as he races in from the point fence. A boundary.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Shanaka now with the reverse sweep. This is fuller and around leg stump. Shanaka reverses it towards point for a quick single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, around leg. Chandimal nudges it on the leg side for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Floated up, on off. Shanaka gets inside the line of the ball and paddles it down to fine leg. Mohammed Siraj is quick to get across to his right and keeps it down to one.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, A bit slower through the air and tossed up outside off. Dasun Shanaka winds up for the big heave leg side but gets it off the inner half of the bat towards deep mid-wicket. The batters get a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Flatter, around middle. This is turned through mid-wicket for another single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, MISFILED AND A BOUNDARY! Tossed up, full and on the pads. Dasun Shanaka gets low and sweeps it to deep square leg. Mohammed Siraj fumbles in the deep and the ball rolls into the fence. 9 runs off it. Sri Lanka need much more overs like this one.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, This is fuller and on middle. Shanaka drives it down to long on for a run and the 50 comes up for Sri Lanka.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, WIDE! At 93.4 kph and spilled down the leg side. Samson with another good take behind the stumps and a wide is called.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Flighted this time, on off. Chandimal leans in and pushes it down to long off for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Quicker one, on off and skidding through. Chandimal defends it out.
DRINKS! Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan have put India on top of proceedings with their exploits in the Powerplay. Ravi Bishnoi has also picked up a wicket and Sri Lanka are reeling at the moment. The skipper Dasun Shanaka and the experienced Dinesh Chandimal are at the crease and will look to stay on for as long as possible to get to a decent total. A couple of more wickets here and India will have a stranglehold on the match.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, ! Overpitched and punished! On off, beautifully driven through covers for a boundary by Dinesh Chandimal.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, on off. Dinesh Chandimal pushes it out for an easy single.
Is that a stumping? Sanju Samson has whipped off the bails in a flash and Kuldeep Yadav reckons he has got his man. The catch will also be checked. The ball is close to the outside edge but UltraEdge that there's a clear gap between bat and pad. The replay shows that Samson was quick but Shanaka was quicker and had his back leg grounded before the bails came off. NOT !
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, on off. Dasun Shanaka sweeps it to square leg for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, NOT ! Dasun Shanaka has his back foot on the ground. It is a fuller delivery, around off, it turns away a touch. Dasun Shanaka shuffles across and tries to defend it out but misses. Sanju Samson gathers the ball and is quick to take the bails off. He seems to be excited and thinks Dasun Shanaka had his back leg in the air. The umpire takes it upstairs to confirm. The replays show Dasun Shanaka is safe.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dasun Shanaka, On off, blocked out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, angling down leg. Dinesh Chandimal gets low and sweeps it to fine leg for three runs.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Floated and full, on off. Dinesh Chandimal drives it down the ground for a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, TWO WIDES! Flatter, down leg. Dasun Shanaka stays back and looks to pull it away but misses. Sanju Samson dives to his left to make a half-stop. The batters take a single.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Fuller, on off, turning in. Dasun Shanaka clips it through square leg for a brace.
Ravi Bishnoi to Dasun Shanaka, Flighted, full and on leg. Dasun Shanaka prods and tries to defend it out.
The captain, Dasun Shanaka walks out to bat with his team in a spot of bother.
Ravi Bishnoi to Janith Liyanage, ! TIMBER! Ravi Bishnoi strikes in his very first over. He is enjoying in time in International cricket. What a ripper of a delivery, Janith Liyanage gets beaten all ends up. It is a googly, pitching outside off. Janith Liyanage prods and looks to defend it out but gets beaten by the turn. It spins in a long way and goes through off the inside edge to rattle the stumps.
Ravi Bishnoi to Janith Liyanage, Fuller and outside off. Janith Liyanage leans into the shot and slashes it through covers for a brace.Â
Ravi Bishnoi to Dinesh Chandimal, Looped up, on the pads. Dinesh Chandimal clips it to fine leg for a single.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Fuller, on off. Dinesh Chandimal blocks it out solidly.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Tossed up, full and on off. Dinesh Chandimal prods and defends it out.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, Short and on middle. Dinesh Chandimal makes room and punches it past mid off for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Janith Liyanage, Fuller, on off. Janith Liyanage drives it down the ground for one.
Kuldeep Yadav to Janith Liyanage, Flighted, full, around off, turning away with the arm. Janith Liyanage blocks it out watchfully.
Kuldeep Yadav to Dinesh Chandimal, BEATEN! What a ripper! A googly, around off. Dinesh Chandimal leans in to defends it out, but only manages to get beaten on the outside edge.
Spin for the first time tonight as Kuldeep Yadav comes on to bowl.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, Length, on the pads. Janith Liyanage tucks it to the leg side for another single. A tidy start by Harshal Patel. It's been a while since Sri Lanka got their last boundary.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, Length, on off. Dinesh Chandimal drives it past extra cover and gets across for a single.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, A length ball, on middle and leg. Dinesh Chandimal looks to work it away to the leg side but gets it into the deck off the bottom end. He rotates in his crease, as he is unaware where the ball landed.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, WIDE! Back of a length, on off. It bounces off the deck. Dinesh Chandimal sways away from the line. The umpire thinks it goes above the head and signals a wide.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, LEG BYE! On a length, on leg. Janith Liyanage tries to flick it away but misses. It goes off his pads to the left of the keeper. They cross for a leg bye.
Harshal Patel to Dinesh Chandimal, A length ball, outside off. Dinesh Chandimal stays back and defends it to point. He takes on Ravindra Jadeja and makes it safely to the other end.
Harshal Patel is now brought into the attack.
Harshal Patel to Janith Liyanage, Harshal Patel starts with a full one, angled down leg. Janith Liyanage stays back and flicks it to square leg for one.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, Sri Lanka are 18/3 at the end of Powerplay. This is full and on the pads. Janith Liyanage flicks it to mid-wicket for a quick single. Avesh Khan's figure read 3-1-4-2 so far. This is an incredible stat.Â
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, On a length, around off. Dinesh Chandimal guides it towards third man for one.
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, A sharp bouncer, on off. Dinesh Chandimal was set to hook it away but ends up ducking under it.Â
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, LEG BYE! A length ball, on the pads. Janith Liyanage stays inside the crease, tries to flick it away but misses. It goes off his pads and the batters take a leg bye.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, A length ball, on the stumps. Janith Liyanage blocks it out solidly.Â
Avesh Khan to Dinesh Chandimal, A full-length ball, on off. Dinesh Chandimal steps across and flicks it towards mid on for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Sri Lanka struggling here! This is banged in short over middle stump. Janith Liyanage ducks under the ball and just 3 singles come off the over.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, This is angled into the body. Chandimal pulls it awkwardly towards square leg for one.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Length again, outside off. Liyanage looks to drive but edges it past the slip cordon and down to third man for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, Direct-hit and it would have been curtains for Dinesh Chandimal! Back of a length, on off. Chandimal hops and dabs it towards covers. There's a little mix-up between the batters but they eventually go for the single. Deepak Hooda misses the shy at the bowler's end and Chandimal survives.
Dinesh Chandimal comes in at number 5.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, Right on the money! Chandimal defends the length ball towards mid off.
Mohammed Siraj to Dinesh Chandimal, A touch fuller, around off and shaping away nicely. Chandimal makes a watchful leave.
Avesh Khan to Charith Asalanka, ! TAKEN! Sanju Samson with a very well-judged catch and Charith Asalanka now has to walk back! Dot balls create pressure and both the opening bowlers for India have done well to keep on the pressure. This is angled across the left-hander. Charith Asalanka looks to break the shackles and has a swipe across the line. His feet don't move and he is late in his shot. The ball skies off the top edge around the leg slip region. The keeper, Sanju Samson keeps
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, Around the top of off, Liyanage hops on the back foot and jams it out towards mid off for a quick single.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, On off, Liyanage leans in to defend it out on the off side.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, The dot balls continue to rise up! Short of a length, outside off and shaping away a bit. Liyanage sways away from the line of the ball.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, A hint of away movement now. Outside off, Liyanage looks to drive on the up but is well beaten.
Avesh Khan to Janith Liyanage, On a length, on off and nipping back in a bit off the surface. Janith Liyanage is caught on the crease but manages to block it out.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, Another play and a miss! Length this time, slanting across the left-hander. Asalanka looks to drive but misses.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, A spicy bouncer now. This is bowled on off and is angling away. Charith Asalanka tries to get some bat on it but is beaten once again.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, Good comeback! Fullish again, closer to the off pole. Asalanka looks to push at it but gets beaten past the outside edge.
Mohammed Siraj to Charith Asalanka, ! Width on offer and punished. Full and wide, Charith Asalanka slashes at it and gets it behind point for a boundary.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, A touch fuller, on off. Liyanage bunts it out on the off side for a quick single.
Mohammed Siraj to Janith Liyanage, Close but not close enough! A length ball, on off and this is nipping back in sharply off the surface. Janith Liyanage gets pinged on the pads as he looks to block it out. Mohammed Siraj is interested. India do go for the review eventually and UltraEdge confirms there's no bat on it. Ball Tracker shows that the ball was missing the top of off by a few inches. The original call of NOT stands and India lose a review early on.
Janith Liyanage is the new man in.
Avesh Khan to Charith Asalanka, On off, Asalanka defends it out.Â
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, ! TAKEN! Pathum Nissanka now perishes and Sri Lanka off to a catastrophic start here. Nissanka was getting bogged down and the pressure got to him. This is a bit pitched up, on off. Nissanka backs away and looks to lifts it over the long off fence but gets it off the toe end. The ball flies towards the edge of the circle around the mid off region and Venkatesh Iyer comes in from the long off fence to take a good catch. First international wicket for Aves
Charith Asalanka is the new man in.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, A bit of width on offer, Nissanka thumps it straight towards the man at cover.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, LEG BYES! Unlucky! A length ball, around middle and this one jags back in late and a long way as well. Pathum Nissanka makes a bit of room but gets beaten for pace. The ball goes off the pads and past the stumps, into the third man fence.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, Length this time, outside off and shaping away. Nissanka looks to thrash it through covers but misses.
Avesh Khan to Pathum Nissanka, Fullish delivery, sliding into the pads. Nissanka looks to flick it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. Khan appeals but the umpire says no.
Mohammed Siraj to Danushka Gunathilaka, ! Chopped on! Danushka Gunathilaka looks to start off with a bang but instead walks back for a golden duck. Mohammed Siraj bangs it in short, over 140 clicks and around the off pole. Gunathilaka hangs deep and doesn't move his feet. He looks to pull but the ball hurries on and Gunathilaka gets an inside edge. The ball goes on to hit the off stump and Siraj has provided India with a brilliant start.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Pathum Nissanka and Sri Lanka are underway. Good-length, angled into the body. Nissanka makes a bit of room and dabs it down to third man for a single.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Siraj starts off with a good length ball, around off and shaping away. Pathum Nissanka guides it nicely to the left of point where Ravindra Jadeja makes a brilliant diving stop.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Four dots in a row now! Around the top of off, at 137.6 clicks. Nissanka bunts it towards Jadeja at point and wants the single. His partner, Danushka Gunathilaka doesn't want to risk it against Jadeja.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Length again, angled into middle and leg. Nissanka defends it on the leg side.
Mohammed Siraj to Pathum Nissanka, Extra bit of bounce and lovely late movement as well. This is angled in on off stump and the ball moves away late off the surface. Pathum Nissanka is beaten all ends up.
We are moments away from the start of the match! The Indian players spread out on the field as the Sri Lankan openers, Pathum Nissanka and Danushka Gunathilaka take guard. Mohammed Siraj has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Let's play...
Ravindra Jadeja is in for a quick chat. Jadeja says that he is very happy to be back after two months and is also happy to bat wherever the team requires him to. He adds that he practiced at the NCA in Bangalore and got enough time to recover. When he was recovering, mentally he was always trying to stay focused on his return. Mentions that even when he was injured, he kept running in order to stay in shape and then slowly and steadily got better.
Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Pathum Nissanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal (WK), Janith Liyanage (In for Praveen Jayawickrama), Dasun Shanaka (C), Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay (In for Kamil Mishara), Binura Fernando and Lahiru Kumara.
India (Playing XI) - Rohit Sharma (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (WK), Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav (In for Ishan Kishan), Mohammed Siraj (In for Bhuvneshwar Kumar), Avesh Khan (In for Jasprit Bumrah) and Ravi Bishnoi (In for Yuzvendra Chahal).
India captain, Rohit Sharma says that they wanted to bowl first as well and want to keep challenging themselves as a team. He adds that Ishan has been ruled out and they do not want to take any chances. Alongside him, Bhuvi, Bumrah and Chahal all go out. Bishnoi, Kuldeep, Avesh and Siraj come in tonight. On being India's most capped T20I player he says that it's always a beautiful feeling representing your country and will look to do his best.
Dasun Shanaka, the Sri Lankan skipper, is for a chat. He says, they will bat first. It looks like the conditions are good to bat on. Mentions, there are a couple of changes to their side and will look to end the series with a win.
TOSS - Up goes the flip of the coin and it lands in favour of Sri Lanka and they will have a BAT first.
... MATCH DAY ...
Hello and a warm welcome to the third T20I game between India and Sri Lanka. This is the final game of the series with India having sealed it with 2-0. Will the hosts continue their dominance? Or will the visitors be able to take away a consolation win? We shall find out soon.
In the recent games, the Indian middle-order has been going bonkers and racking up runs at a brisk rate. The camp would hope the batters continue on their merry way and provide a helping hand in completing the whitewash. The bowling though needs an improvement from the last match as the Indian bowlers leaked a lot of runs at the death.
Sri Lankan batters did showcase their aggressive hitting with the blade once they got their eye in. It wasn't a lone-fought battle, unlike the first game and Sri Lanka will expect the batters to keep up the good work. We might see some changes in the bowling department though, as the visitors still hunt for their deadly mix. An exciting contest awaits. Stay tuned for the toss.
PITCH REPORT - Deepdas Gupta is alongside Rusell Arnold. DDS says that the pitch is a different one and hence the dimensions change as well. Arnold says there's less grass on this pitch but it is still hard and there are a few areas on which if the ball pitches, the batters might be troubled. It is a bit dry so the spinners will have a better day than yesterday. DDS adds that the pacers will still get a lot of bounce and 180 is what the side batting first will be looking for.