IND vs SL 2024, 1st T20I: India player ratings as Suryakumar special leads Men in Blue to hard-fought win
The margin of victory might have been a sizeable 43 runs, but India needed to dig deep to come out on top against Sri Lanka in the first T20I in Pallekele on Saturday, July 27. Eventually, the Men in Blue confidently got over the line to go ahead in the three-match series.
After Suryakumar Yadav lost the toss, Charith Asalanka saw his bowlers being picked apart in the powerplay. While Sri Lanka gave themselves a fighting chance at various stages of the game, their lack of batting depth and fielding cost them.
On that note, here are India's player ratings from the 1st T20I against Sri Lanka.
IND vs SL 2024: Surya special follows powerplay heroics
Yashasvi Jaiswal: 8.5/10
Jaiswal got India off to a rollicking start, striking plenty of boundaries in the powerplay. He was bamboozled by a googly from Wanindu Hasaranga, but he had done his job by then.
Shubman Gill: 8/10
Gill did his bit at the other end, keeping the scoreboard moving at a rapid rate and matching Jaiswal stroke for stroke. He was dismissed at the very end of the powerplay, but like his opening partner, he did what the team asked of him.
Suryakumar Yadav: 9/10
Suryakumar's status as the team's best T20I batter was reinforced once again. While he rode his luck at times, the maverick batter played a series of delightful strokes and notched up yet another half-century. His fielding was a touch disappointing.
Riyan Parag: 9/10
Parag came in at No. 6 ahead of Rinku Singh and hit an inventive boundary. Matheesha Pathirana was too good for him, though. He was given two overs towards the end of the Sri Lankan chase, and he bowled beautifully to pick up three wickets with a host of variations.
Rishabh Pant: 5/10
Pant could never get going and struggled for large parts of his knock. He capitalized on a few loose deliveries to restore some respectability to his score, but it was a disappointing effort from a player who hasn't been able to make a name for himself in T20Is.
Hardik Pandya: 2/10
Hardik played an ungainly heave to be dismissed for a single-digit score. He couldn't deliver with the ball either, failing to help India establish control over the middle overs.
Rinku Singh: 4/10
Rinku's stay lasted just two balls. The usually reliable finisher edged one onto his stumps as India's final flourish hit a snag.
Ravi Bishnoi: 6/10
Bishnoi wasn't anywhere near his best in the first T20I but managed to bowl a spell below the asking rate. He picked up a wicket off the final ball of his fourth over, and his fielding left a lot to be desired.
Axar Patel: 7.5/10
Without much assistance from the surface, Axar's first three overs were a touch expensive. The left-arm spinner turned things around in his fourth, picking up two wickets to derail the Lankan chase. He also hit a six off the last ball of the first innings.
Mohammed Siraj: 7/10
Siraj didn't have much to do. He was taken for a few runs in his second over but finished with an impressive economy rate of 7.6 and pulled off Dasun Shanaka's run-out.
Arshdeep Singh: 7/10
Arshdeep was carted for a few in the only over he bowled in the powerplay, but he came back well to pick up a wicket each in his next two overs.