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India vs Sri Lanka, 1st match, Nidahas T20I tri-series
Catch live updates here from the first match of the T20I tri-series between hosts Sri Lanka and India.
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Thakur looks to be the best bet at this time. It's a gamble. But Perera doesn't seem to fall into the trap. Need four to win. And its over. Perera takes Lankans over the line with nine balls to spare. Thakur had no option but to stick to that short length but Perera pulls it behind square to ensure Sri Lanka begin well in the T20 Tri-Series.
Unadkat in for the 18th over. He is known for his death bowling but he hasn't been impressive at all. Concedes a boundary of his second delivery as he fails to land a slower delivery on length and Dasun Shanaka flat bats it over cover. Couple of good balls follow as he finds his spot rolling his fingers over the ball. Unadkat now bowls a fuller delivery and Thisasa Perera doesn't miss those. Tees off for a six followed by a straight boundary. Unadkat has bowled an expensive over again and SL are staring at a victory now. Need 8 off 12. SL 167/5 in 18 overs.
Momentum seems to be swaying in India's favour. Shankar takes the ball. Thisara Perera on strike. He is capable of producing meaty blows. Luck straightaway for Perera as he mishits a fuller ball only to find it landing safely. Shankar is bowling intelligently, not giving slightest of hints as to be becoming predictable. Shankar has mixed it pretty well. He has fired in wide, banged it hard, bowled fuller wide of off-stump but none in the slot or range. With the field spread out, Lankans have a task to find boundaries. SL collect 11 runs to reach 151/5 in 17 overs. Need 24 off 18 balls.
You have to give it to Thakur to coming back strongly. Bowling with confidence here and fast. Hitting the right length, short, but not short enough. This has been a brilliant over from Thakur, just three off it. Great comeback. SL 140/5 in 16 overs. Need 35 off 24 balls.
Chahal bowling his final over now. Not sure though if bowling wide on this wicket is the mantra. He has been impressive keeping it tight and within the stumps. But India have used him as an attacking option and throwing it wide has been one of his variations. Told you, Chahal will have to bowl within the stumps to get a wicket. And he does. Cleans Tharanga as he preplans a slog and loses his off-stump. Chahal gets his second and India are getting into a position to turn things around. Just five runs off that over. Chahal concedes 37 but takes two. SL 137/5 in 15 overs. Need 38 off 30 balls.
Thakur comes back. Rohit has been calming him down. One bad over doesn't make a bowler bad. He has altered his length and his putting pace behind his deliveries. Just short of good length and the ball rearing up till the waist height. Thakur is mixing it up well and bowled a 145kmph delivery. Dropped!!! Rishabh Pant at mid-wicket drops Tharanga. it was a good delivery by Thakur as it cramped Tharanga for space and he couldn't play the pull properly. Anyway five runs of the over. SL 132/4 in 4 overs. Need 43 off 36 balls.
Wicket!! Perera this time. Washington Sundar foxes him with beautiful flight and dip. Karthik clips the bails. India breathe a sigh of relief. Can they claw back? Sundar is making sure India certainly do. Just one run off the over. SL 127/4 in 13 overs.
Perera has raised the heat in the Colombo. Collects a six off a switch-hit. Raina can't believe his eyes. Perera might have taken his chances early in his innings but he has played a calculative inning so far. No risk at all and has picked his spot really well. Meanwhile, SL collect another 12 run over. They are in the game and could finish well before 20 overs. SL 126/3 in 12 overs. Need 49 off 48 balls.
Chahal continues and fires it wide down the leg. Losing control of the googly but Perera is in full control and throws his bat away to make sure he is got enough to fetch a boundary. Six more!!! This is Upul Tharanga, Chahal pushes it quicker through the air, in the slot and Tharanga punishes it over mid-wicket. SL take another 13-run over. Need 61 off 54 balls. SL 114/3 in 11 overs.
This is an interesting move though quite expected. Two left-handers on the crease. Suresh Raina is bowling well for a change. Has conceded just 3 off his over. SL 101/3 in 10 overs. Need 74 off ten overs.
Chahal has struggled sans Kuldeep Yadav. They are like Jai and Veeru of Sholay. But he is settling in. Draws the batsman forward, fires it wide but Dinesh Chandimal hits it back so hard that Chahal doesn't get to time to show reflexes. Finds a boundary. Chahal answers back in style though. Bowls Chandimal on 14 to find his first wicket via a back spinner. But at this stage SL are still in the hunt. SL 98/3 in 9 overs.
Debutant all-rounder Vijay Shankar's been given the ball in the eighth over. Let us hope he provides a breakthrough but he will have to be measured with his lengths on this Premadasa pitch. Perera punches it hard to cover and gets to his fifty in 22 balls, his eighth in T20s. India must have thought they have posted a competitive total but this Perera onslaught has pushed them on the backfoot. India have to rethink how to save this match if Perera stays there. Hey hey, do we pride ourselves of having produced another good fast bowling all-rounder. He is not giving any width, keeping it slightly shot. Brilliant over this and much needed at this stage. Just Four off it. SL 92/2 in 8 overs.
Yuzvendra Chahal begins post powerplay proceedings. On the money right away. Finds the length and knows the speed at which he needs to vary his deliveries. Perera is looking really dangerous as he jumps out to launch Chahal over his head for a six. He reaches 48 with a double off a misfield. Where was this SL team three months back? Proper competition. Another big over, 13 runs. SL 88/2 in 7 overs.
Last over went for 14 runs. Sundar comes in for his third. Keeps it tight and mixing up well. Just keeping it short of full length and finding some spin as well. Five runs of the over and the last of powerplay. SL 75/2 in 6 overs.
Unadkat back in the mix. The wicket is becoming flatter and flatter. Unadkat bowls a slower one but lands it short, gives enough time Gunathilaka to get into position and thwack it over long-on for his second six. SL are cruising as they need 109 off 92 balls. Yes, mixing up the bowling looks to be the trick but Unadkat is struggling with his line. Gunathilaka paddles-flicks it over the fine-leg boundary. Wait credit to Unadkat now, lands the slower perfectly and Gunathilaka is foxed by the drop in pace. Balloons it over mid-off and Rishabh pant takes it safely. SL 70/2 in 5 overs.
Sundar to continue. Bowling slow now. Looks to have got the trick to bowl on this track. But no, Sundar pushes it hard through the air. Gunathilika seems to have gotten the confidence from Perera. He slog-sweeps for a six over mid-wicket fence. SL 56/1 in 4 overs.
This is quick bowling change by Rohit Sharma. Now Shardul Thakur replaces Jaydev Unadkat. Bangs it hard but Perera slaps it hard over mid-wicket for a four. This is followed up by a delicate square-cut, aptly placed between point and cover for another boundary. Perera completes a hattrick now. Thakur pitches this one up and plays an exquisite cover drive. The sound of the bat felt like music to ears. What is happening? Three boundaries followed up with a six. Thakur bowls a slower one and Perera picks it and lofts it cleanly over mid-off. Already 18 off it and this is not all. Thakur is flabbergasted. Bowls a fulltoss, over waist height no-ball, short and Perera swats it through cover for fourth over. This is totally entertaining. Perera is on fire. He is seeing the ball like a football. Finds another four with a powerful straight drive. SL 46/1 in 3 overs.
Washington Sundar it is, the off-spinner with the new ball in the second over. This is quite an opportunity to prove himself as a powerplay bowler. But Mendis has other plans. Chips him over mid-off to find his second boundary. Sundar maintains his calm and tosses it up again. Mendis plays an uppish sweep but the ball lands behind square for a double. Next up, Sundar tosses it up within the stumps and Mendis goes for an expansive loft but balloons it over mid-off to see Shkihar Dhawan pouching it safely. SL lose their first, India need nine more. But wait, Kusal Perera shows his intent now, plays a slog sweep to perfection for a six. SL 19/1 in 2 overs.
Welcome back: Jaydev Unadkat starts the proceedings for India. Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis open the batting for the Lankans. The wicket is certainly not an easy one to bat on. The new ball is doing quite a bit. Mendis though opens his account with a cheeky boundary through thirdman past the slip. SL 6/0 in 1 over.
Two boundaries from Dinesh Karthik in this last over bowled by Dushmantha Chameera. Pant also gets in the on the act with a cover drive. However, he falls off the last ball of the innings. In all, 14 runs from the over. After previous two dull overs, the Indians finish strong at 174/5, one has to say.
Just seven runs from the Thisara Perera over. 10 runs from the last two overs. The Sri Lankans bowlers have indeed pegged back the Indians in these important overs. India 161/4 in 19 overs.
Shikhar Dhawan goes for 90 off 49 balls. Finds Perera at long-off off the bowling of Gunathilaka. Great batting nevertheless. India 153/4 in 18 overs. Just three runs from the over.
Dhawan is firing on all cylinders. Fifth six comes his way, Dushmantha Chameera in the firing line this time as the ball goes over fine-leg. Luck is also favouring him as he is dropped by Dinesh Chandimal behind the wickets. And Dhawan adds insult to injury with a second six of the over. This time hits the bowler straight back. India 150/3 in 17 overs.
Fourth sixth from the bat of Shikhar Dhawan. Gunathilaka this time at the receiving end as the ball sails over midwicket. India 134/3 in 16 overs. Dhawan 75*, Pant 11*. Dhawan today has a great opportunity to hit his maiden T20I ton.
Shikhar Dhawan carries on despite the break in momentum. Sends a short delivery from Akila Dananjaya into the stands. India needed this shot after the departure of Manish Pandey. Off the fifth ball, comes another six. This time it's Rishabh Pant, launches the bowler over long-off. In all, 15 runs from the over. India 124/3 in 15 overs.
The partnership is broken by Jeevan Mendis, removes Manish Pandey for 37. The Indian batsman goes for a big shot but poor execution means he finds Gunathilaka at deep midwicket. India 104/3 in 12.4 overs.
100 up for India in 12 overs. Dhawan 56, Pandey 34 at the crease. The partnership goes up to 91 runs. India are on course for a big score. What a comeback by them after losing Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina early in the match.
50 for Shikhar Dhawan, off 30 balls. He does it in style, fetches a four off Akila Dananjaya on the off side. Fifth T20I fifty for the left-hander, second against Sri Lanka. India 89/2 in 10.5 overs.
Here comes another six. Shikhar Dhawan mistimes the Nuwan Pradeep bouncer and it sails over the keeper's head for a six. 50-run partnership also comes up with that. Second six! Another edge off a short ball sails into the stands at fine-leg. India 71/2 in 9 overs. Dhawan 42*, Pandey 22*.
Jeevan Mendis reviews an lbw shout against Shikar Dhawan. Replays the ball pitched outside the leg stump. And then later in the over Manish Pandey launches him into the stands with a slog sweep. First six of the match. India 57/2 in 8 overs.
Akila Dananjaya into his second over. The Powerplay comes to an end. India 40/2 in 6 overs. Dhawan 27*, Pandey 7*. Both have added 31 runs so far. India would hope they go from strength to strength from here.
Back-to-back boundaries for Shikhar Dhawan. The second one not convincing though. The bouncer by Nuwan Pradeep takes him by surprise and he is lucky that the edge goes high up behind the wickets for four. Two wides, three singles and a four follow. Manish Pandey scores his first boundary off the last ball of the over. India 35/2 in five overs.
Spinner Akila Dananjaya comes on to bowl after first three overs by fast bowlers. After troubling Shikhar Dhawan with the first two balls, he concedes a four off the next. Wide, a double and a single follow in the over. India 18/2 in 4 overs. Dhawan 15*, Pandey 0*.
First boundary for India. Shikhar Dhawan lifts Pradeep over mid-off to settle some nerves. Wait. Another wicket goes down off the last ball of the over. Suresh Raina misses a full toss and finds his stumps rattled. He backs away a little and tries to cut the ball but completely misses it. He goes for 1. India 9/2 in 2 overs.
Dushmantha Chameera starts the proceedings for Sri Lanka. He starts well against Rohit Sharma with three straight dots. And then comes a wide down leg and India open their account. And Rohit goes for a duck off the next ball. What a catch by Jeevan Mendis who runs from mid-off to finish the catch in the long-off area. India 1/1 in 0.4 overs.
Here is India's Playing XI. Vijay Shankar makes his international debut. Interestingly, both Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant are playing in this match and the former has been given wicketkeeping responsibilities.
And here is the Sri Lankan XI.
Here is the toss update. Sri Lanka win the toss and decide to bowl against India at Colombo. Former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee says the pitch is full of runs. Seems like a cracker of a game is in the offing for cricket fans.
Hello and welcome to the first match of the Nidahas T20I tri-series between India and Sri Lanka at Colombo.
Rohit Sharma is leading the team after Virat Kohli decided to take a rest following the long and demanding tour of South Africa that ended last month.
India have also rested MS Dhoni, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya for this tri-series.
And that means, there will be quite a few new faces in the starting XI. It's an indeed great opportunity for Indian youngsters to impress the national selectors.
Shikhar Dhawan scores 90 off 49 balls as India post 174/5 in 20 overs. Manish Pandey and Rishabh Pant chip in with 37 and 23 respectively. For the Sri Lankans, fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera returns 2/33. LIVE SCORECARD
Earlier, Sri Lanka won the toss and put India into bat at Colombo. They removed captain Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina early but after that Dhawan and Pandey added 95 runs to bring the Indians back into the contest. Towards the end of the innings, Dinesh Karthik and Pant got a few important boundaries.