India vs Sri Lanka 2016, 3rd T20I: 5 Talking Points
The Indian team posing with the winners’ trophy for the second consecutive time after a T20I series. (Image courtesy: BCCI)The Indian shores have greeted their players well, and after a brief hiccup, which could be attributed to the extended hangover of a belated New Year celebration in Australia, the players are back to being at their most comfortable.Well, at least the scorecard from Ranchi suggested so, and if one looks at the one in Visakhapatnam, it wouldn't be much different in the Indian half of the card.The Sri Lankan half is where all the difference lies, as they looked in some bizarre kind of hurry to get done with the game. And, for those Sri Lankans who were patient, the job was done by the umpires.As India humiliated Sri Lanka by 9 wickets to clinch the 3-match T20I series 2-1, some questions were raised, while some others were answered.Here are 5 talking points from the game.
#1 Ravichandran Ashwin\'s brilliance
Like the previous game, India chose to open the bowling with Ashwin.
The move paid off immediately as India’s new new-ball bowler struck with his third ball to deceive Niroshan Dickwella in the air, and with the help of the prodigious turn that was on offer, got him stumped by Dhoni, who, grabbed the ball that Dickwella had missed and removed the bails with a speed that even Rudy Koertzen would have been ashamed of.
However, Ashwin had beaten the batsman by yards, and the slowest of stumpings by the fastest of wicket-keepers was enough to send the Lankan opener back. On the final ball of the same over, the Indian off-spinner trapped Tillakaratne Dilshan leg before to reduce Sri Lanka to 3/2.
In the third over, Ashwin saw the Sri Lankan captain, Dinesh Chandimal advance down the wicket, and dropped the ball a bit short to force a leading edge that culminated into a catch by Hardik Pandya.
Suddenly, the Lankans were tottering at 12/3 in the 3rd over, and perhaps this havoc was what convinced umpire Nandan that the attempted leg glance by Asela Gunaratne had actually hit the bat when Suresh Raina caught it at leg-slip.
Ashwin had his fourth- only for the replays to show that the ball had come off Gunaratne’s thighs- and now held the record for the best T20I figures by an Indian bowler that read 4-1-8-4.
The craftsmanship was at its belligerent best by Ashwin, as he varied the speeds of his deliveries, bowled carrom-balls, and altered his lengths to completely bamboozle the visitors.