3 positives and 2 negatives from India's series win vs Sri Lanka
Team India started 2023 on a positive note by beating Sri Lanka 2-1 in the three-match T20I series. After a close finish in Mumbai in the first match, the hosts went down narrowly to a spirited Sri Lankan side in Pune. However, a disciplined all-round performance from the Men in Blue in Rajkot saw India winning another bilateral T20I series at home.
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A 91-run win and a series victory for India in Rajkot!
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The squad for the series against Sri Lanka was a young and relatively inexperienced one, with the majority of first-choice T20I players not being a part of the said series. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, K.L. Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammed Shami were not part of the squad. Even Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, who are vital players in the shortest format, were unavailable due to injury.
The young team under dynamic skipper Hardik Pandya managed beat a strong Sri Lankan team. However, there are certain issues that the management will be looking to address in the upcoming T20Is against New Zealand.
Here is a look at three positives and two negatives for India in the recently concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka:
3 positives from the series win:
Suryakumar Yadav has been in exceptional form right from the time he made his T20I debut. He continued to dominate the bowlers in the series against Sri Lanka and his form is indeed one of the positives for the Men in Blue. Apart from Yadav, there were certain other positives for the team.
#1 Maturity of Axar Patel as an all-rounder
The series against Sri Lanka witnessed the growth and maturity of Axar Patel as an all-rounder in the shortest format. Team India were missing their star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as he was ruled out due to an injury. Axar performed to the very best of his potential and displayed his skills as a world-class all-rounder.
For his all-round brilliance in the #INDvSL T20I series, @akshar2026 becomes the Player of the Series 👏👏
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In three innings, he batted at number seven and played the perfect role of a finisher. He scored 117 runs and was dismissed only once in the series. His strike rate of 195 was the highlight of his batting in the series.
Apart from the bat, he was disciplined with the ball and picked up three wickets in the series at an average of 24.67.
Axar displayed great maturity as an all-rounder and was the biggest positive for the team in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
#2 Emergence of Umran Malik
Umran Malik played his first-ever T20I series on Indian soil and did not disappoint. Before the said series, he had played just 3 T20Is and had not tasted much success. However, he repaid the faith of the team management and ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the T20I series.
Malik bowled at express pace and picked up seven wickets in the series at an impressive average of 15.14. He was the go-to bowler for the skipper whenever India needed a wicket. He picked up wickets at crucial moments in each of the three games and was one of the architects behind India's win in the T20I series.
His economy rate of 9.43 could be of slight concern for the team. However, he is likely to improve with time and could spearhead the Indian fast-bowling attack shortly.
#3 Growth of Hardik Pandya as a skipper in T20Is
The series witnessed the growth and maturity of Hardik Pandya as the skipper of the Indian T20I team. Hardik backed the younger players in the squad and gave them the confidence to express themselves and perform on the big stage.
Some of his moves as a skipper paid rich dividends. Pandya entrusted Axar Patel to bowl the last over in the first T20I in Mumbai, with Patel defending 13 runs in the said over. Similarly, he backed young pacers like Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, and Shivam Mavi even as they were conceding runs in the series.
Hardik has taken the right steps to be Rohit Sharma's successor in the shortest format and has already made a case for himself to lead the team again in the future.
2 negatives for team India:
Apart from the positives mentioned above, there are a couple of concerns that the Men in Blue would want to address before the next T20I series against New Zealand.
#1 Indifferent form of Ishan Kishan
A lot was expected from Ishan Kishan after his double hundred in the third ODI against Bangladesh. However, Kishan failed to impress with the bat against Sri Lanka.
He started well in the first T20I in Mumbai scoring 37 runs from 29 balls. However, he was dismissed for just 2 and 1 in Pune and Rajkot respectively. He ended the series scoring just 40 runs in three innings at an average of 13.33 and a strike rate of 111.11.
Kishan had a golden opportunity to establish himself as the permanent keeper-batsman in the series in the absence of Rishabh Pant, K. L. Rahul, and Sanju Samson (who was ruled out of the last two T20Is).
However, Kishan was disappointing with the bat in the series. He is likely to get more chances against New Zealand and will look to cement his place in the playing XI by scoring quick runs at the top of the order.
#2. A high economy rate of Yuzvendra Chahal to pick up wickets
Yuzvendra Chahal did not have the best series against Sri Lanka. The leggie bowled 9 overs in the series conceding 86 runs at an average of 28.67. He was wicketless in the first T20I in Mumbai and in the remaining two matches picked up three wickets. He bowled his quota of four overs in only the second T20I in Pune.
Apart from not being able to pick up wickets in the middle overs, Chahal had an economy rate of 9.56 which is on the higher side considering Chahal's experience in T20Is.
Team India could consider giving young Ravi Bishnoi or Kuldeep Yadav a chance in the series against New Zealand at the expense of Chahal.