Nidahas Trophy 2018: Match 1, SL vs IND: Sri Lankan Player Ratings

The Nidahas Trophy 2018 kick-started with a pulsating contest between the neighbouring countries with the hosts Sri Lanka emerging victorious. Kusal Perera’s sensational 37-ball 66 played a crucial role in blowing the young Indian contingent off the track. It was a much-needed win for the Lankan Lions, who have been going through a horror patch in recent times.

Batting first, Shikhar Dhawan made an absolute mockery of the Lankan bowling despite the other batsmen struggling to get hold of them. He looked at his fluent best and stroked a wonderful 90 off 49 balls. If he had scored a hundred today, he would’ve become the fourth cricketer in Indian history to score a hundred in all three formats. India posted 174 runs in their 20 overs.

Kusal Perera went bonkers in the second innings and clobbered 27 runs off Shardul Thakur’s first over. Sri Lanka accumulated 75 runs in the batting Powerplay, which explains how brutal they were. But the Indian bowlers made a stellar comeback towards the with Chahal and Washington Sundar picking up crucial wickets. Although things got a little interesting towards the end, Thisara Perera ensured their side got over the line.

Here are the Lankan player ratings

1. Danushka Gunathilaka – 7/10

A wonderful outing for Danushka Gunathilaka both with the bat and ball. He gave away just 16 runs in his 3 overs and also picked up the prized-scalp of Shikhar Dhawan, who was threatening to take India to a big total. He gave a good start to his side with the bat as well, pummelling a few boundaries off the spinners.

2. Kusal Mendis – 5/10

Got a good start, but made a meal out of it. Tried to do a little more than what was required and eventually got dismissed in the second over of the innings.

3. Kusal Perera – 9/10

Outstanding batting from Kusal Perera despite being under a lot of pressure of late. He clobbered Shardul Thakur for 27 runs in the 3rd over, which literally set the tone for the rest of the innings. He scored 66 runs off 37 balls, which included 6 fours and 4 sixes.

4. Dinesh Chandimal – 6/10

Nothing special coming from the skipper’s bat and it was a 5/10 performance from him. But he gets one extra point for the way he used his bowling resources and restricted India to 174, despite they looking ominous enough to go past the 185-mark.

5. Upul Tharanga – 4/10

Another one of those players who started off on a decent note. He played a rash slog sweep off Chahal and ended missing the ball, only to see his stumps get shattered. Not the kind of shot Lankan fans wanted to see from their most experienced player!

6. Dasun Shanaka – 5/10

Didn’t get to bowl in today’s game and struggled with the bat. But he eventually got the job done alongside Thisara Perera, which is all that matters.

7. Thisara Perera – 8/10

Justifying his finisher’s role, Thisara Perera scored a 10-ball 22 and remained unbeaten. He took his side over the line by himself despite Shanaka struggling at the other end. Bowled well in the death overs despite not picking any wickets.

8. Jeevan Mendis – 7/10

Figures of 1/21 in 3 overs is fairly decent and more than acceptable in a T20 game, especially when the opposition score at over 8.5 an over. Jeevan Mendis used all his experience to stem the run flow in the middle overs.

9. Akila Dananjaya – 4/10

Forgettable outing for the canny spinner. Gave away too many runs and bowled way too short for batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan, who gleefully accepted each of those presents. He gave 37 runs in his 4 overs without picking up any wickets.

10. Dushmantha Chameera – 7/10

Chameera can get back to his hotel room today and his pat his back in appreciation. He did a fine job with the new ball, pickig up two big wickets of hard-hitters Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant. Returned with excellent figures of 2/33 in 4 overs.

11. Nuwan Pradeep – 4/10

Conceded way too many runs thanks to the onslaught from Shikhar Dhawan. Chandimal had to search for other bowling options as he already had conceded 38 runs in 3 overs. Fortunately, Gunathilaka covered up for Pradeep’s over.