India vs Sri Lanka, First T20: Player ratings
After a successful victory in the ODI series, the Indian cricket team came into the match with another target in mind. The Rohit Sharma-led team performed well in the first innings and gave the visitors a fighting total of 180 to chase.
The Sri Lankans couldn't respond to the high target, as they lost all their wickets for only 87 runs. Both the spinners were exceptional yet again for the Indian cricket team as they took 6 wickets amongst themselves to collapse the Sri Lanka batting lineup.
Let us take a look at how each player fared:
India
Rohit Sharma - 5.5/10
The Indian skipper didn't have a great start to the T20 series as a batsman. He only scored 17 off 13 balls and would have wanted to continue to score a big total. He mistimed his shot as it was high on the bat and went straight to mid-on.
However, as a captain, he couldn't have asked for anything else from his bowlers and the team. The spinners especially bowled extremely well by getting all the right lengths and troubled the entire Sri Lankan batting order.
KL Rahul - 8.5/10
Playing international cricket after a rather long break can be a tough task for any player, but Rahul accepted the challenge and scored a strong 61 at a good strike rate of 127. The 25-year-old built the foundation for the rest of the team to build on, but ended up losing his wicket to Thisara Perera as he slogged across the line to possibly increase his strike rate but saw the ball hit the stumps instead.
Shreyas Iyer - 6/10
The youngster played well for his 24, although he would have wanted to accelerate faster to score a big score. He lost his wicket to Pradeep as the ball cramped him a little more than he expected and bounces up a little higher leading to a top edge.
MS Dhoni - 8/10
The veteran answered his critics as he scored a spectacular and well-orchestrated 39 off just 22 deliveries. His running has been amazing as usual, and he also hit a magnificent six off the last ball to complete his innings.
Dhoni also had an amazing day behind the stumps as he was involved in 4 out of the 10 Sri Lankan wickets.
Manish Pandey - 8/10
Not getting many chances in the ODI series, Manish Pandey made complete use of his opportunity in this match as he scored a superb 32 off 18 deliveries at an amazing strike rate of 177. His innings also included 11 runs in a single delivery(Six off a no ball). He proved the selectors right as he formed a spectacular partnership with MS towards the end.
Dinesh Karthik - N/A
Hardik Pandya - 6/10
Pandya hasn't had the best of times with the ball. Despite taking three wickets towards the end, he was expensive at the beginning of the Sri Lankan innings. He would've hoped to bat but didn't get an opportunity to showcase his finishing ability.
Kuldeep Yadav - 7.5/10
Once again the Chinaman proved to be one of the best-limited over spinners in the country. He took two wickets at a good economy rate of 4.50 conceding only 18 runs in his four overs. Kuldeep bowled the right places and troubled the Sri Lankan batsmen throughout his spell.
Jaydev Unadkat - 7.5/10
The 26-year-old gave a great start to the Indian team as he took the first wicket of Dickwella. He bowled the right line and length and was very economical in the two overs he bowled giving only 7 runs.
Yuzvendra Chahal - 9/10
Chahal was absolutely remarkable in the match. He ripped apart the Sri Lankan batting order as he picked up four crucial wickets: Tharanga, Mathews, Gunaratne and Thisara Perera. Dhoni and Chahal formed a deadly pair against the Sri Lankan batsmen as they dismissed three batters together. He will hope to continue this form to be the first choice spinner for the Indian cricket team.
Bumrah - 7/10
Despite not taking any wickets, Bumrah bowled well in the match. He didn't have much to do the entire match as the spinners were doing the job for the rest of the team.