India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd T20I Stats Review: Shreyas Iyer smashes third consecutive unbeaten fifty as hosts win 12th T20I in a row

Shreyas Iyer continued his purple patch as the right-handed batter struck another unbeaten half-century, his third straight feat in the series, to seal the match and also the series for India. Iyer scored an unbeaten 73* as the Men in Blue whitewashed Sri Lanka 3-0 subsequently winning their 12^th consecutive T20 international. With 12 straight wins, India equaled Afghanistan and Romania’s record of 12 consecutive victories in the shortest international format.

Speaking of how the match went by, Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to field first. India made four changes as Ishan Kishan was ruled out due to his head injury. Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yuzvendra Chahal were all rested. Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravi Bishnoi all came in. Sri Lanka’s top four batters registered single-digit scores as Avesh Khan and Siraj bowled brilliantly for their four overs spells of 2/23 and 1/22 respectively. Captain Dasun Shanaka then carried his team as he recorded his highest T20I score of 74*. The visitors finished with 146/5 in 20 overs.

In reply, Dushmantha Chameera again made Rohit Sharma his bunny as the latter got dismissed for the sixth time to him in T20Is. Sanju Samson scored only 18 runs with Shreyas Iyer then starting on from where he left off in the last match. Coming in at no. three again, Iyer scored 73* off 45 balls where Ravindra Jadeja also remained unbeaten on 22 off 15. The duo finished off the chase in 16.5 overs to clinch the match by six wickets and the series 3-0 for India. Iyer was adjudged as the Player of the Match and also the Player of the Series for his terrific 204 runs in the series where he was not out in all the games.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from India vs Sri Lanka, 3^rd T20I:

125 – Rohit Sharma appeared in his 125^th T20I. He surpassed Shoaib Malik (124) and has now played the most T20 internationals.

18/3 – Sri Lanka registered the lowest powerplay score (18/3) among full-members excluding the rain-curtailed matches in T20Is.

6 – Sharma got dismissed by Dushmantha Chameera for the sixth time in T20Is which is the most he has been got out against any bowler. Tim Southee has got rid of him four times.

12.11 – Danushka Gunathilaka has scored just 109 runs in nine T20I innings against India with an average of 12.11.

74*– Dasun Shanaka recorded his highest T20I score (74*). His previous best was 54 against England in 2017.

12 – India won 12^th consecutive T20 international.

3 – Shreyas Iyer scored three unbeaten fifties in all three matches of the series.

9.09 – Sri Lanka openers boasted the second-lowest strike rate (9.09) among full-members with a minimum of ten balls faced in a T20I inning. West Indies openers had a strike rate of 8.33 against Pakistan in 2013.

1 – With 12 T20I wins in a row, India is now joint-top with Afghanistan and Romania for 12 consecutive victories in T20 internationals.

1 – Iyer has now scored the most runs (204) for India in a three-match T20I bilateral series. Virat Kohli had scored 199 runs against Australia in 2016.

2016 – The last time India lost to Sri Lanka in T20Is at home was six years back in February 2016.

204 – Shreyas Iyer scored 204 runs in the three matches of the series.

45 – With 45 single-digits scores in T20 internationals, Sharma is now on top of the list. He went past Kevin O’Brien’s tally of 44 such scores.

73* – Shreyas Iyer achieved his second-best T20I score (73*). His previous highest of 74* came against Sri Lanka in the last T20I of the current series.

2 – Iyer also became only the second batter with three consecutive unbeaten 50 plus scores in a T20I series. David Warner achieved the feat against Sri Lanka in 2019.

10 – India has now won ten consecutive T20Is (completed) against Sri Lanka at home.

4 – Gunathilaka registered the fourth golden duck by a Sri Lankan opener in a T20I against India. Tilakaratne Dilshan had two such ducks in 2012 and 2016 and Pathum Nissanka with one in the first match of the ongoing series.

3 – Dasun Shanaka achieved the third-highest score (74*) by a Sri Lankan captain in a T20I inning. Tilakaratne Dilshan scored 104* against Australia in 2011 and Kumar Sangakkara 78 against India in 2009.

29 – Sharma has now been out 29 times in single-digits scores as an opener in T20Is which is the most by any. Ireland’s Paul Stirling has got out 28 times.

6 – Chameera dismissed Sharma for the sixth time in T20Is which is the most he has dismissed any batter. The pacer has got the better of Dawid Malan and Nicholas Pooran three times each.

14.50 – Sanju Samson averages just 14.50 in 12 T20I innings with 174 runs.