India v Sri Lanka, 1st T20I, 2017 - 5 Talking Points

India started off the proceedings of the 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka on a winning note as they clinched a victory in the very first game by a mammoth 93-run margin. They excelled in all fields of play, with batsmen putting up their hands at the right moments and bowlers restricting the opposition’s run flow adeptly. With this win, the hosts are 1-0 up in the series.

Having won the toss, Sri Lanka chose to bowl first and would’ve hoped to utilise the conditions at the Barabati Stadium, Cuttack in their favour but it was not to be. India got off to a flying start, riding on the back of KL Rahul’s sensational innings, followed by crucial contributions from Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni. Sri Lanka were given a mountain worth 180 runs to scale, which proved to be insurmountable after their top order failed to click. Let’s took a look at the 5 Talking Points from the game:

1. Lokesh Rahul’s sensational knock

Although Indian opener, Rohit Sharma failed to contribute significantly, KL Rahul filled the void aptly. Having gone through a lull in recent times, the swashbuckling right-hander proved his mettle with panache. He started off on a slightly slow note and paced his innings fabulously as the match progressed.

His knock worth 61 runs came off just 48 balls, accompanied by 7 boundaries and a lone sixer. Not only did Rahul’s innings lay the foundation for the hefty Indian total, but also negated the Sri Lankan opening spell by holding one end of the crease with a firm grip.

2. Manish Pandey joins the party

The Sri Lankan bowling attack was in for a terrible day at the office as they were knocked out of the park left, right and centre. Manish Pandey came in lower in the order than his usual spot but did not fail to deliver. His partnership with former skipper, MS Dhoni was the cement that constructed the Indian innings.

Pandey hit a quickfire 32 off 18 balls. It was Nuwan Pradeep, who got hit by Pandey for a mammoth six, followed up by a smashing boundary in the next delivery in the second last over, taking India’s total to the next beyond reachable.

3. Dhoni finishes off in style

If finishing the innings in style is your need, MSD is the man for your deed! The veteran batsman joined the party a little early as he came in at No.4 ahead of the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya, a move that is being hailed by fans and critics alike.

Dhoni scampered through for the quick singles, ran the 2’s hard and punished the loose deliveries for their merit. His well-paced unbeaten innings worth 39 runs off just 22 runs helped India get to a total that was beyond good on the sticky wicket of the Barabati Stadium. The 36-year old hit 4 boundaries and 1 sixer in the proceedings.

4. Yuzvendra Chahal gets a 4-wicket haul

The star bowler for the Indian side was the seemingly frail, Yuzvendra Chahal. His four-for was instrumental in steering India’s ship towards victory and he was recognised as the ‘Man of the Match’ for his efforts. Chahal took full advantage of the two-paced pitch, restricted the run flow, fielded exceptionally well on a dew-laden ground, picked up wickets at regular intervals and did not give the Lankan batsmen any opportunity to settle. His caught and bowled scalp of Angelo Mathews, in particular, was a treat to the eyes. Chahal ended the game with figures of 4-0-23-4.

5. Sri Lanka’s unceremonious slump

As for team Sri Lanka, the intent just wasn’t there. Be it their bowling, fielding or batting, the fire was lacking in the body language of the team and it reflected in the way they went about with their game. Even if they would’ve hoped to turn things around in the second innings with some good partnerships and solid knocks, their hopes were extinguished by the unceremonious slump of the top and the middle order.

Both opener, Niroshan Dickwella and Upul Tharanga started off on a positive note, only to give away their wickets recklessly and Kusal Perera followed suit. From thereon, there was only one way that the game could go. Sri Lanka lost 7 wickets for just 30 runs, leading to an inevitable crushing defeat for themselves.