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Team India started off their New Year on a winning note as Shivam Mavi's dream debut helped the Men in Blue to peg back Sri Lanka in a thrilling opener of the three-match T20I series at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday (January 3).
Mavi snared 4/22 on his T20I debut to keep Sri Lankan batters in check, who were chasing a 163-run target. However, India had to really eke out the win in the neck-to-neck encounter which could have gone either way had Axar Patel failed to defend 13 runs in the last over. India survived Sri Lanka scare and won the match by two runs.
At one point it looked like Sri Lankan will take away the game from India but Mavi's kept providing breakthroughs whenever team required which staged the turn around in favour of the hosts. The valiant knocks from skipper Dasun Shanaka (45 off 27) and Chamika Karunaratne (23 not out off 16) couldn't save the visitors from going down to India as Sri Lanka were bundled out for 160 in the stipulated 20 overs. Notably, this is the lowest total India defend at Wankhede.
After India posted a decent total on the board, skipper Hardik Pandya took it all on his back and bowled the first over. The pressure created by the star all-rounder helped Mavi at the other end. Hardik was full throttle in his spell which saw him conceding mere 12 runs in three overs.
Mavi's dream moment came his very first over as he showed a remarkable composure after being whacked for two boundaries by Kusal Mendis. Having a narrow escape in Hardik's first over, Pathum Nissanka was clueless about Mavi's ripper which rattled the stumps.
He came again to strike back in his second over to send Dhanajaya de Silva packing, who was caught at mid on.
When Sri Lanka's scoreboard read 47/3, Ishan Kishan pulled off a superman catch after Charith Asalanka failed to get a hold off a pull short off Umran Malik's delivery.
Hasaranga and Shanaka tried to set it up for Sri Lanka with a 40-run partnership off 23 balls. But soon Mavi was again launched back into the attack and what he did next was nothing but a show of masterpiece. He had Hasaranga caught at mid-off. Shanaka continued his blitzkrieg before Umran dismissed him in 17th over. The game somehow went down to the last over with Chamika Karunratne providing a ray of hope for the visitors. With Hardik unable to bowl his fourth over after a fall on the field, Axar was called in to defend 13 in the final over.
Earlier, Indian batters struggled to tackle Lankan spinners before Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel propelled the Men in Blue to a competitive 162/5. While Hooda belted 41 off 23, Axar's unbeaten 31 off 20 came handy for India as the the duo stitched a cracking 68-run stand of mere 38 balls for the sixth wickets and steadied India's boat from a precarious 94/5.
After his recent double ton blitzkrieg, Ishan Kishan smashed Sri Lanka's bowlers left, right and centre in his quickfire 37 off 29. In the very first over he made his intention clear when he whacked a cracking six in the very first over which saw Rajitha leaking 17 runs.
Shubman Gill, couldn't make the most of his T20I debut as he departed for just 7. However, he got off the mark with a beautiful cover drive off Dilshan Madhushanka but didn't ran out of steam post that.
Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka brought his spin attack in the very third over when he handed the ball to Maheesh Theekshana who dismissed Gill who missed a straighter one from the mystery spinner to be trapped in front of the stumps.
Then came India's most explosive batter and the Numero Uno of T20I cricket, Suryakumar Yadav, who too perished cheaply at the score of 7, which left India teetering at 41/2 in the powerplay. Playing his first game in front of his home crowd, Surya went for his usual scoop shot but mistimed it to be caught at short fine leg by Bhanuka Rajapaksa off Chamika Karunaratne.
Sanju Samson (5) wasted another opportunity by mistiming a slog off Dhananjaya de Silva. The spinners stemmed the flow of runs in the middle overs with India collecting only 26 in overs 10-15 with the loss of Kishan and skipper Hardik Pandya (29 off 27), who could not find his range after starting with a couple of exquisite stokes on the off side.
