IND v SL, Nidahas T20I tri-series: Kusal Perera goes ballistic as Shardul Thakur bowls second most expensive over by an Indian bowler

ICC

Chasing 175 to win in the first match of the T20 tri-series against India at Colombo on Tuesday, Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera went ballistic against medium pacer Shardul Thakur.  

Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis in the second over to Washington Sundar, and one thought the wicket will make the Sri Lankans cautious for the next couple of overs at least. 

However, Perera had other ideas. In the third over bowled by Thakur, the left-hander from Sri Lanka hit top gear and smashed the bowler for five fours and one six. One no-ball earlier in the over meant, he could have made things worse for the Indian bowler.

Luckily for Thakur, the last ball was a dot. Nevertheless, he had conceded 27 runs in the over. 

This was the second most expensive over in T20Is by an Indian bowler after Stuart Binny who conceded 32 runs against the West Indies at Lauderhill in 2016.

Suresh Raina, who scored just one run in India's 174/5 fuelled by Shikhar Dhawan's 90 off 49 balls, had conceded 26 runs in an over against South Africa in 2012. 

Earlier, India were put into bat by Sri Lanka on what appeared a batting friendly surface at Colombo. 

India got off to a bad start as Dushmantha Chameera removed captain Rohit Sharma for a duck off the fourth ball of the first over. The bowler had Jeevan Mendis plenty to thank as Mendis ran back from mid-off to finish a nice diving catch in the long-off area.

Raina joined Rohit in the dugout shortly after as he missed a straight full toss by Nuwan Pradeep and saw his stumps rattled. India needed a good partnership at this stage and opener Dhawan and Manish Pandey provided it. 

Both added 95 runs off 64 balls to put India on course for a big total. After Pandey fell to Mendis for 37, Dhawan, who had scored his fifth T20I fifty, carried on and went on a six-hitting spree. The way he was batting it appeared it won't be long before he got his first century in the shortest format of the game. Dhawan, however, fell to Danushka Gunathilaka after scoring 90 off 49 balls and hitting six sixes and six fours. 

After Dhawan got out, the Sri Lankans bowlers checked Indian bastmen Rishabh Pant (23) and Dinesh Karthik (13*) a little but 14 runs in the last over bowled by Chameera meant India finished strong at 174/5. Pant fell off the last ball of the innings as Chameera returned 2/33.