India vs Sri Lanka 2017: Kuldeep Yadav-Yuzvendra Chahal's spells is the play of the day
After two contrasting results for both the teams, the decider in Vishakhapatnam was always going to be an interesting affair.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first on a track which looked sublime for batting. However, Rohit clearly stated, that he would be more confident chasing down the total.
Sri Lanka did not get off to an entirely bright start as opener Danushka Gunathilaka played a very loose stroke and walked back for a tepid 13.
However, Upul Tharanga looked to be in great touch and along with Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sri Lanka put the foot on the accelerator as they breezed along to 136 in 22.3 overs. And this is when the Indian spinners decided to stake their claim.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal tossed one ball outside off and got it to turn, however, Sadeera tried to go for the flamboyant drive on the off, but ended up skewing the stroke to Shikhar Dhawan who gobbled up the catch at deep cover point.
This is where the Sri Lankan innings stumbled and there was no recovery ever since.
Kuldeep Yadav pranced in, he tossed the ball on off stump, getting it to break just enough to elude the attempted prod of Tharanga, he was dragged outside of his crease, and Dhoni was quick to dislodge the stumps. Another start squandered as Tharanga who looked in cruise control was taken out for 95.
The young left-arm chinaman then came back in the fifth ball of the over after Niroshan Dickwella got two boundaries off his bowling. He bowled a flat ball outside off, Dickwella went back to cut it, but the ball turned away and he ended up guiding it to Shreyas Iyer at first slip.
Two wickets in one over, three wickets for 32 runs and India were back bossing the game.
Yuzvendra Chahal stepped in and bowled perhaps the ball of the match when he fired a slightly flatter ball on leg stump, Angelo Mathews offered a harmless bat to defend it, but despite the trajectory, the ball snaked past the outside edge and collected the middle and off stump.
The spinners were ruling the roost and Sri Lanka slipped away after such a bright start!
Sri Lankan captain, Thisara Perera was the next nail in the coffin for the visitors.
Chahal fired a flattish delivery on off stump, Thisara misread the length, went back, the ball spun back in and caught the captain in front of the stumps.
Kuldeep ended a brilliant day as he dismantled Akila Dananjaya's stumps. The diminutive left-hander looked to sweep Kuldeep but did not take into the account, the length of the delivery which was full and it spun back to smash into the stumps from behind Akila's legs.
At the end of the innings, the Indian spinners had picked up six wickets in their 20 overs and had only conceded only 88 runs.
"The idea was to bowl quicker, wicket to wicket. I'm getting good drift over the last couple of series," Chahal said after the innings.
"We are very lucky to get him at that point of time. The hardwork we put in the nets is really coming off well. I was trying to bowl more in the fuller areas. The ball was turning and it was a slow turn. Mahi keeps telling us where to bowl and we are very lucky to have him in our side. We pulled out well towards the end," Kuldeep reflected after the innings.