Lucknow. Opener Ishan Kishan (89 runs in 56 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (56 not out) scored half-centuries as India defeated Sri Lanka in the first T20 International match here on Thursday. (Sri Lanka) by 62 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
A confident Indian team made a positive start in this series as well, after a clean sweep in the last white-ball series against West Indies. This is India’s 10th consecutive win in T20 Internationals. The team made a challenging score of 199 runs for two wickets from the innings of Ishaan and Shreyas.
Sri Lanka’s team could manage only 137 runs for six wickets in 20 overs despite a half-century from Charith Asalanka (53 not out). India bowled with seven bowlers, with the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/9 in two overs) giving Sri Lanka two early blows that the team could not recover from. Jasprit Bumrah, however, could not take wickets, conceding 19 runs in three overs. Venkatesh Iyer took two wickets for 36 runs in three overs while Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja got one wicket each. Earlier, left-handed batsman Ishaan, with his innings of 10 fours and three sixes, proved why he was bought for such a high price in the IPL auction.
India beat Sri Lanka by 62 runs in the first T20I match in Lucknow.
— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2022
He, however, could not capitalize on his debut in the previous white-ball series against West Indies. The 23-year-old from Jharkhand put on a 111-run partnership for the first wicket with his captain Rohit Sharma (44 off 32 balls) to lead India to a big total after being invited to bat. After this, Shreyas Iyer also took full advantage of the opportunity, hitting five fours and two sixes in 28 balls to take India to a big score.
In both the openers, Ishan’s game was full of aggression, who started adding runs quickly in the third over itself, with Chamika Karunaratne paying the brunt of her poor line and length with three fours as India scored 15 runs from this over. Lahiru Kumara bowled at a great pace but Ishan got the best of two shots, first with a pull shot on the front foot that crossed the boundary, and in the second with a flick to the midwicket boundary to add four runs. He then hit a four on left-arm spinner Pravin Jayavikrama. Then Chamira’s short ball was brought into the stands to give India 58 runs in the powerplay.
Sri Lanka too had to bear the brunt of dropping Ishan’s catch when spinner Jeffrey Vandersay did it on his own delivery in the seventh over. The left-handed batsman soon completed his second T20I half-century as India added 98 runs in 10 overs. Captain Rohit playing the role of partner was taking another two runs. He also hit two fours and a six at mid-wicket.
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Rohit was four runs away from half-century, when Sri Lanka gave India the first blow in the 12th over with a slow delivery from Lahiru Kumara. Ishaan got life again when he touched the bat off Vandersay, but the ball went over the boundary. After two tight overs, Ishan hit a six at long-on and then sent Lahiru Kumara for a boundary at third man and deep midwicket to add 17 runs to India’s account.
Sri Lanka bowled very poorly in the death overs with Shreyas Iyer helping add 44 runs in the last three overs. Chasing this target, Sri Lanka had a poor start, losing the wicket of their opener Pathum Nisanka on the very first ball, who was bowled by Bhuvneshwar.
Bhuvneshwar also sent second opener Kamil Mishara to the pavilion in the third over. Janith Lianage (11), Dinesh Chandimal (10), captain Dasun Shanaka (03) were also dismissed early. Chamika Karunaratne did stay at the crease for a while, in which he scored 21 runs from 14 balls with two sixes, but he became Venkatesh Iyer’s second victim. Asalanka and Dushmanta Chamira put in some good batting, but it was too late. Asalanka scored 53 not out off 47 balls with five fours while Dushmanta Chamira made 24 not out off 14 balls with two fours and a six. (agency)