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India made a commanding start to the Gautam Gambhir era with a 43-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first T20I. New captain Suryakumar Yadav led from the front, smashing a blistering half-century to propel India to a total of 213/7. The foundation for this imposing score was laid by a rapid 74-run opening stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. Sri Lanka made a strong start to their chase but were eventually restricted to 170/10. India's bowlers, particularly the spinners, exploited the slow pitch effectively to clinch victory. The win gives India a 1-0 lead in the series.
At one point, the game looked slipping away from India's hand. Suryakumar, after the match, revealed how he took cue from India's T20 World Cup title triumph to stage a comeback against Sri Lanka to eventually win the first T20I.
Sri Lanka's innings took a dramatic turn after a promising start. From a comfortable position of 149/2, they lost seven wickets for just 21 runs in the final five overs. Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka played aggressive innings, but the Indian bowlers, particularly in the latter half, turned the match in their favor. Arshdeep Singh provided the initial breakthrough by dismissing Mendis. Hardik Pandya struggled to find his rhythm, making it difficult for the Indian captain to manage the bowling resources. Axar Patel played a crucial role, picking up two crucial wickets to stem the Sri Lankan run flow. Ravi Bishnoi's bowling lacked variety, making him predictable for the batters.
The way we played in the World Cup, reminded us that game was still too far: Suryakumar
“They were playing a good brand of cricket from ball one. They were keeping the tempo, credit goes to them. We know how the wicket plays in the night. We were fortunate that there was no dew. The way we played in the World Cup, that reminded us that the game was still too far. (Left-right combination to be persisted?) Whatever works for the team, we'll take the call,” Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation.
Skipper Suryakumar took a calculative punt of giving inexperienced Riyan Parag (3/5 in 1.2 overs) the 17th over and he removed Kamindu Mendis to justify his skipper's faith. The ever-improving Arshdeep (2/24 in 3 overs) also got his share of scalps as Riyan then finished the proceedings without much ado.
Charith Asalanka rues Sri Lanka's defeat
Meanwhile Sri Lanka's newly-appointed T20I captain Charith Asalanka rued team's defeat against India.
“We were not up to the mark in the powerplay, but in the latter part, we came back pretty strong. Some stage, we thought they might get to 240, we did well. Little disappointed with the way the middle-order batted, we could have done better. (On the balance of his side) It's an experiment, this is the way we should go in the future,” Charith Asalanka said at the post-match presentation.
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