IND vs SL: Takeaways from India's narrow win over Sri Lanka in the 1st T20I
India defeated Sri Lanka by two runs in the 1st T20I match against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. While India will be happy to end on the right side of the result, the failure to beat a relatively weaker Sri Lankan Team more convincingly will sting them.
After putting India into bat after winning the toss, Sri Lanka had done well to reduce them to 94/5 in 14.1 overs. However, owing to the quickfire knocks from Deepak Hooda (41*) and Axar Patel (31*), India posted a competitive total of 162/5 in 20 overs.
Chasing 163, Sri Lanka were stuttering at 68/5 in 10.4 overs but recovered through impressive showing from Dasun Shanaka (45) and Wanindu Hasaranga (21). With Chamika Karunaratne holding the fort till the end, Sri Lanka got very close to an unlikely win in the end. However, it was Patel who held his nerve to defend 13 runs in the last over.
On that note, let’s discuss the positive and negative takeaways for the Indian Team's win over Sri Lanka.
Positives
#1 Shivam Mavi stars on international debut
The Indian line-up consisted of two players making their T20I debut for India, Shivam Mavi and Shubman Gill. On his international debut, Shivam Mavi took 4 wickets for just 22 runs in his full quota of four overs.
His scalps were Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. Many would argue that Shivam Mavi deserved the Player of the Match Award for his fine spell but nevertheless, the youngster did impress all with his quality bowling display.
#2 Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel bring India out of the woods
With India struggling at 94/5 in 14.1 overs, it was the pair of Hooda and Patel who rescued the Indian innings with a crucial 68-run partnership. Deepak Hooda (41* off 23 balls) and Axar Patel (31* off 20 balls) were finding the boundary at will, propelling the Indian team to a defendable total of 162.
For his swashbuckling knock comprising four sixes and one boundary, Deepak Hooda was declared the Player of the Match.
#3 Ishan Kishan has a good game
Apart from the pair of Hooda and Patel, the only Indian batter who looked comfortable at the crease was opener Ishan Kishan. Carrying on with his fantastic form from the Bangladesh series, Kishan played a decent knock of 37 runs off 29 balls.
The opener struck three boundaries and two maximums in his innings. He also took an excellent catch to dismiss Charith Asalanka. Kishan will surely be miffed with himself with his dismissal after getting set and would want to convert his starts into big scores.
Negatives
#1 Indian batters struggle against spin
The Indian batters were troubled by the Sri Lankan spinners. In nine overs of spin, the Indian team only managed to score 57 runs, losing three wickets in the process. The Sri Lankan spinners, namely Hasaranga, Theekshana and Dhananjaya, picked up the crucial wickets of Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson.
#2 Indian spinners have an off day
Contrary to their Sri Lankan counterparts, the Indian spinners had an off day as both Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel proved to be expensive as they were taken to the cleaners primarily by Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka.
In a combined five overs, the duo conceded a total of 57 runs, while remaining wicket-less. The Indian white-ball spinners will have to regain their wizardry ahead of the ODI World Cup in India, where they are likely to play a huge role.
What are your thoughts on India's performance yesterday? Let us know in the comments section below.