"It seemed like a cycle stand" - Aakash Chopra on the flurry of wickets in Sri Lanka's run chase

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that the Sri Lankan batters fell like ninepins after the opening partnership was broken in the third T20I against India in Rajkot on Saturday, January 7.

The Men in Blue set a mammoth 229-run target for the Lankan Lions on the back of a blazing unbeaten century from Suryakumar Yadav. Dasun Shanaka and Co. were then bowled out for 137 to lose the game by 91 runs and with it the series by a 2-1 margin.

While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that the Sri Lankan innings went downhill after the first wicket fell at 44, elaborating:

"Wickets kept falling regularly after the two openers got out. It seemed like a cycle stand, one cycle fell and all the cycles fell one after the other. Everyone put wickets in their kitty, other than Shivam Mavi. He bowled only one over in which we gave away six runs."

Chopra praised Arshdeep Singh for bagging three wickets after receiving a mauling in the previous game, stating:

"Hardik Pandya picked up two wickets. He got a wicket off the first ball but the third umpire was used rightly and the ball was missing the leg stump. Arshdeep got three wickets. The first over was slightly expensive for sure, there were three wides, but three wickets - fantastic."

Arshdeep finished with figures of 3/20 in 2.4 overs. Hardik Pandya also snared a couple of wickets, getting rid of Avishka Fernando and Chamika Karunaratne.

"Umran is going to remain expensive" - Aakash Chopra

Umran Malik conceded 31 runs in his three overs. [P/C: BCCI]

While praising the spinners for picking up three wickets, Chopra opined that Umran Malik is likely to prove expensive more often than not, saying:

"Axar had a wicket in his account and Yuzi Chahal picked up two wickets. Umran Malik - 31 runs in three overs. Umran is going to remain expensive. He doesn't bowl with the new or old ball but picks up wickets in the middle."

However, Chopra added that the express pacer can be a lethal weapon for the Men in Blue in the middle overs, explaining:

"He might be a little expensive. He might have gone at nearly 10 an over in this series but he picked up wickets in every match. He has changed the dynamics. The guy is providing you a different option. You are rattling the batters with pace in the middle overs."

Umran Malik the stump breaker
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Umran registered figures of 2/31 in the three overs he bowled on Saturday. The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer finished as the highest wicket-taker in the three-match series with seven scalps, although he did concede an average of 9.63 runs per over.