Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka was proud of the way his team fought in the series against India despite losing the third T20I by 91 runs at Rajkot on Saturday and the series by 2-1. The first T20I was touch and go as India had won only by two runs.
Sri Lanka had dominated the second T20I but they were not at their best in the third game as Suryakumar Yadav took their bowlers to the cleaners. India posted a mammoth score of 228 runs after Hardik Pandya won the toss and decided to bat first.
SKY scored a magnificent knock of 112 runs off just 51 balls with the help of seven fours and nine sixes as he scored his third T20I century and hammered the Sri Lankan bowlers. Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi scored 46 and 35 runs respectively whereas Axar Patel played a cameo of nine-ball 21 to help their team post an above-par score.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka could not get going in their batting innings as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, and Dhananjaya de Silva – all got off to starts but none of them could convert their score into a substantial contribution. In fact, none of the visitors’ batters could go past the 25-run mark as they were skittled out for a paltry score of 137 runs.
However, Sri Lanka did challenge India in the first two T20Is and there were positives for the team as Dilshan Madhushanka, and Kasun Rajitha bowled well in the second game.
Dasun Shanaka said in the post-match presentation, “Before coming here, I wasn’t in form. From the start of this series, I got in good form. Happy with my own performance. The way the boys fought in this series, lots of positives. I had a finger injury, that’s the reason I didn’t bowl in this series but looking forward to bowling in the ODIs. Wishing the Indian team well, especially Surya who was too good. In the field, I want to keep calm and let the boys learn. When I come to bat, it’s a different game.”
Sri Lanka will look to bounce back stronger in the ODI leg against India. The first ODI will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Tuesday.
