New Delhi. Any captain is tested under pressure and Suryakumar Yadav has passed the test. Suryakumar handed the ball to Riyan Parag against Sri Lanka at a stage when he needed 56 runs in 4 overs to win. Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Siraj had two overs each left. Everyone was assuming that Arshdeep Singh would bowl the 17th over. But Surya was thinking something else. When he handed over this over to Riyan Parag, everyone was surprised. Riyan also did not disappoint and got his captain a wicket in those moments of pressure, which Team India desperately needed. India won this match and it proved that Surya is ready to captain the team. This was also Gautam Gambhir’s first match as a coach.
Host Sri Lanka won the toss in the first T20 match against India on Saturday and decided to bowl first. Indian batsmen batted brilliantly and ruined Sri Lanka’s plans by scoring 213 runs for 3 wickets. By the way, like India, Sri Lanka also started well in batting. At one time, it had scored 140 runs for one wicket in 14 overs. At that time it seemed that Sri Lanka would win this match, but it did not happen. India made a great comeback in the last 6 overs and bowled out Sri Lanka for 170 runs in 19.2 overs. India won the match by 43 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.
Nissanka-Perera gave a befitting reply
Chasing a target of 214 runs, openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis gave Sri Lanka the start it needed. Both of them shared an 84-run partnership in 8.4 overs for the first wicket. This dangerous pair was broken by Arshdeep Singh. In the ninth over of the innings, Kusal Mendis hit a big six in the deep square leg off Arshdeep’s ball. He tried to hit a six on the next ball as well, but this time the ball could not cross Yashasvi Jaiswal. Kusal Mendis scored 45 runs off 27 balls before getting out.
Sri Lanka lost the last 9 wickets for 30 runs
Even after Kusal Mendis was out, Sri Lanka continued to bat well. Opener Pathum Nissanka, who was playing well, got a good partner in the form of Kusal Perera this time. Both of them took the team to 140 runs in 14 overs. At that time the Indian team was under pressure. Surya Brigade needed wickets at any cost. This need was fulfilled by Axar Patel. He clean bowled Pathum Nissanka (79) who was moving towards a century. After this, Sri Lanka’s innings collapsed like a pack of cards. Its batsmen kept coming and going. These batsmen were in such a hurry that they could not even play the full overs and Sri Lanka’s team collapsed in 19.2 overs. Pathum Nissanka scored the highest 79 runs (48 balls) for Sri Lanka.
Akshar Patel made a comeback
When Sri Lanka was moving towards victory, Akshar Patel brought India back. He first dismissed Pathu Nissanka and then Kusal Perera in the 15th over of the innings. Before the Sri Lankan team could recover from this double blow, Ravi Bishnoi dismissed its captain Charith Asalanka. Asalanka could not even open his account.
Ryan took 3 wickets
Sri Lanka’s team had scored 158 runs for 4 wickets in 16 overs. At this critical moment, Surya took a wonderful decision and handed the wicket to Arshdeep Singh or Mohammad Siraj. Riyan also proved his captain right by bowling Mahesh Teekshna on the fourth ball of his over. Just before this, Dasun Shanaka was run out in the same over. After these two wickets, the match came in India’s hands. Arshdeep bowled the 18th over and Siraj bowled the 19th over. Both took one wicket each in these overs. After this, Suryakumar Yadav once again handed the ball to Riyan. In this last over of the match, Sri Lanka needed 44 runs, but Riyan did not give a single run. He ended the match by taking wickets on the first two balls of the over.
Surya’s fifty
Earlier, India scored 213 runs for 3 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav scored the most runs from India’s side. He played an innings of 58 runs in 26 balls. Rishabh Pant (49) was a bit unlucky and missed the fifty by one run. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 40 runs in 21 balls and Shubman Gill scored 34 runs in 16 balls. Axar Patel remained unbeaten after scoring 10 runs in 5 balls. Mathisha Pathirana took 4 wickets for Sri Lanka.
Tags: Gautam Gambhir, India vs Sri Lanka, Indian Cricket Team, Surya Kumar Yadav, Team India
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 27, 2024, 22:45 IST