IND vs SL: Gautam Gambhir lauds Rahul Tripathi's attacking intent

India snatched another bilateral series victory after thumping visitors Sri Lanka in the series finale in Rajkot, thanks to a record-setting century from batting superstar Suryakumar Yadav. While the 32-year-old took home the plaudits for his dazzling ton, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir acknowledged the brisk innings from Rahul Tripathi that set the tone for India in the powerplay.

Hardik Pandya won the toss in the series decider and elected to bat first. His decision seemed to have backfired after Ishan Kishan was dismissed in the very first over of the match. The Sri Lankan pacers were on top of the proceedings before Rahul Tripathi, playing just his second T20I, opened his shoulders for the home side. His blistering 35 off 16 deliveries ensured a brisk powerplay for India.

"If you talk about Rahul Tripathi, he is a player who has batted at every number for his franchise and state. He can open, play at No. 3 or in the middle order, but his approach remains the same whether he plays against the new ball or in the middle order. You want to see players like him," Gautam Gambhir said to Star Sports, acknowledging Tripathi's attacking intent.

The way Tripathi lost his wicket, he will be disappointed: Gambhir

Although the former Indian opener praised Tripathi for his innings, the southpaw felt that the explosive batter could've done better on the delivery that dismissed him. The Ranchi-born batter succumbed while trying to guide a short delivery, after dispatching Chamika Karunaratne for consecutive sixes on the previous two deliveries.

"Chamika Karunaratne did not bowl too many bad deliveries but it was Rahul Tripathi's quality because of which he proved that expensive. The way Tripathi lost his wicket, he will be disappointed. The third man was up, if he had slashed hard, the ball might have gone above third man but he just guided the ball like you give catches in the slips," Gambhir added.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store