India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd T20I - Talking points and Who Said What?

Hardik Pandya-led team India registered a massive win by 91 runs in the series decider in the third T20I contest against neighbours Sri Lanka at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. After two back-to-back thrilling match-ups, both sides were looking for results in their favour as they were tied up at 1-1 prior to the final game. 

The Men in Blue led by star all-rounder Hardik Pandya opted to bat first on a surface which is regarded as a batters' paradise. Flamboyant right-hander Suryakumar Yadav did precisely what the pitch offered and produced a magnificent knock as he scored 112 runs of just 51 balls. The majestic innings pushed the home side register a massive total of 228 for the loss of five wickets in their 20 overs.

In response, the Islanders just could not display their best batting as wickets kept falling at regular intervals. The Dasun Shanaka-led side got just the start they wanted as they used the powerplay to their advantage. What followed next was wickets falling at regular intervals which put the batting side under pressure. Facing the heat to chase the mammoth total, the Lankan Lions succumbed to pressure and handed a huge win to the hosts and thereby lost the series 1-2.

 Talking points from the game-

Suryakumar Yadav- The point of difference

Suryakumar Yadav seemed like the man who wanted to steal the show completely as he played a blistering knock of 112 runs from just 51 deliveries. The flamboyant right-hander came in when India had lost two early wickets and required someone to score big. Suryakumar stepped up in the series decider and put up a magical show for the fans as he hammered nine maximums and seven boundaries to smash an unbeaten century which marked his first of the year. His majestic knock helped the side to attain a massive total of 228 runs in their 20 overs of the contest.

Team India bowlers work in tandem to clinch series

The onus was on the Indian bowlers to not take the game deep like the previous two T20Is and register a convincing victory. Though the visitors got the start they wished for, it was Axar Patel who drew the first blood which eventually took the pressure off the bowling unit. What followed was a combined bowling performance with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh scalping three wickets coupled with Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal and speedster Umran Malik racking up two wickets each to seal the contest.

A proud home bilateral series streak continues

It is worth mentioning that Sri Lanka has never been successful against the Men in Blue on the Indian soil. Team India yet again clinched the T20I series and thereby kept their winning streak intact with 10 straight international sereis wins at home against the Islanders. 

Losing captain, Dasun Shanaka said:

Before coming here, I wasn't in form. From the start of this series, I got in good form. Happy with my own performance. The way the boys fought in this series, lots of positives. I had a finger injury, that's the reason I didn't bowl in this series but looking forward to bowling in the ODIs. Wishing the Indian team well, especially Surya who was too good. In the field, I want to keep calm and let the boys learn. When I come to bat, it's a different game.

Winning captain, Hardik Pandya said:

I think he (SKY) has been surprising everyone every innings that he is batting. He is just telling us that batting is so easy. If I were bowling to him, I'd be disheartened on seeing his batting. Special mention to Rahul Tripathi - the ball was doing something but he showed great intent. Then SKY did his thing. You don't need to tell him anything, he knows what to do. If there is any situation where he is unsure, we have our chats but more often than not, he knows what to do. I'm really proud of him (Axar), the way he is batting down the order and hitting. This will give a lot of confidence to him and the team as well. My motto in life as captain has been that I'll back my players. These are the best T20 cricketers in India and that's why they are here. There is no space for doubting in this format and we're backing the players properly. The way we played in the series is pleasing, we didn't even play 50 percent of our game in the second game but we still fought well.

Player of the Match, Suryakumar Yadav said:

It's really important to put pressure on yourself when you are preparing for a game. If you do that in practice, it gets a little easier while playing the game. There is a lot of hard work involved but it's about doing quality practice sessions. You should know what your game is and prepare accordingly. Boundaries behind are like 50-60 meters, so I was targeting them. There are some shots that are pre-determined but you need to have other shots too so that if the bowler changes his plan, you can have an answer. He (Dravid) just lets me enjoy myself. He tells me to just enjoy and express myself.

Player of the Series, Axar Patel said:

Feel happier when the team benefits from my batting (when compared to bowling). Didn't do anything different for this series, just that the captain gave me a lot of confidence in the dugout. We do a lot of planning during team meetings but sometimes things do go wrong and I just focus on doing my plans properly.