India vs Sri Lanka: 3 observations from the 3rd T20I as India gain clean sweep
A powerful performance from India led to them inflicting a whitewash on Sri Lanka in the 3-match T20I series. The visitors never seemed to be in with a chance during the entire series.
In the final match, Dasun Shanaka won the toss and elected to bat first. However, the top order was blown away as they were reduced to 29 for 4. Shanaka was the standout performer with an unbeaten 74 runs in 38 balls.
India zipped to the victory target thanks to another powerful innings by Shreyas Iyer. The hosts won the match in only the 17th over with 6 wickets to spare.
wickets 
India beat Sri Lanka comfortably in the third and final T20I by 6️⃣ wickets 🔥
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#India #SriLanka #INDvSL https://t.co/0xjLZMAUH8
What this victory has shown is India's dominance in this format of the game. Even though there are a multitude of positives for the Indian team to be happy about, three are worthy of a closer look.
#3 India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: Dasun Shanaka plays a captain's knock
Sri Lanka were tottering at 29 for 4 when Dasun Shanaka walked out to bat. He had the task of not only resurrecting the innings, but also batting deep and getting his side to a competitive total.
After assessing the conditions early on in his innings, he found his range and, just like the last game, attacked both seamers and spinners. In his innings of 74 off 38 balls, Shanaka smashed 2 sixes and 9 fours. Such was his dominance that the Indian bowlers could never get their plans right in the death overs.
In the last match, the Lankans had smashed 72 runs in the last four overs of their innings. This time, they scored 56 off the last four overs to post 146/5 - a total that gave their bowlers a slight chance of defending the target. It didn't prove enough in the end.
#2 India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: Indian pacers' opening burst
India had included both Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan for this match, on a pitch that offered pace and bounce. The young quicks pounded the Sri Lankan batting order.
At the end of 4 overs, Avesh and Siraj had broken the back of the Sri Lankan top order. The visitors were reduced to 11/3. The Indian seamers kept testing the middle of the surface and none of the Lankan batters were able to cope with this barrage.
Despite leaking a few runs in the death overs, Siraj ended his quota of 4 overs having conceded just 22 runs. Avesh, on the other hand, picked up a couple wickets and gave away just 23 runs.
The Indian team management will be thrilled with the performance of both these pacers as they look forward to the T20 World Cup.
#1 India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: Shreyas Iyer's remarkable consistency
It has been a series to remember for Shreyas Iyer. He got the extra responsibility of batting at No. 3 and made the opportunity count. The right-hander slammed his third half-century in a row and never looked hassled.
With this batting form, he also made a statement in favour of picking him for the Test series that starts in a week's time. What made his batting in this series special was how comfortable he looked against the seamers.
The elegant right-hander found a way to combat the short ball through his shuffle in the crease. Afterwards, he absolutely tonked the spinners.
Iyer notched up 204 runs in the series without being dismissed even once. Remarkably, he managed to do this while scoring at a strike rate of 173.
FIFTY for Shreyas Iyer! 🔥
This is his third half-century in as many games 🙌
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