India took the first T20I but lost back-to-back games against Sri Lanka and lost the series 1-2. Sri Lanka has fought back really well after losing the very first match of the T20I series against India. Some key performances came from both sides.
Although after the first T20I, India was badly hit by Covid, and because of that, they lost their 8 key players, including Surya Kumar Yadav, Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, and Yuzi Chahal. Krunal Pandya was the main victim of Covid, but others were not allowed only because they were close in contact with Krunal.
Let's take a look at those 5 standout performances of the India-Sri Lanka T20I series:
1) Surya Kumar Yadav:
Surya Kumar Yadav was simply brilliant, not just in the first T20I, but he was also exceptional in the ODI series too. Surya Kumar Yadav was awarded the "Man of the Series" award in the ODI series for his sensational performances.
In the first T20I, Surya Kumar Yadav played a crucial 34 balls 50 runs knock with an impressive strike rate of 147.06. His performance helped India to post 164 runs on the board. The wicket wasn't easy to bat on, especially against spinners, but the way Surya took their spinners on was an absolute joy to watch. He smashed 5 fours and 2 massive sixes and helped India to drag the 160+ score. Surya Kumar even played slower medium pacers well in that match. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to take further part in the T20I series. If he were with the team, then who knows? The result would have been different.
2) Bhuvneshwar Kumar:
Bhuvneshwar Kumar played in the first T20I exactly like he has been known for. Bhuvneshwar struck early and took the wicket of Avishka Fernando. Bhubaneswar's initial breakthrough helped other Indian bowlers to sustain the pressure on the Sri Lankan batters.
Bhuvneshwar was using his variations brilliantly well and created opportunities for India. Bhuvneshwar took 4 wickets in that match and helped India win the first T20I by 38 runs against Sri Lanka.
3) Wanindu Hasaranga:
Wanindu Hasaranga had been one of the best performers in the T20I series. Hasaranga not only bowled well, but he was more than handy with the bat for Sri Lanka. Hasaranga was awarded the "Man of the series" award for his consistent performance in the T20I series. In the decider, Hasaranga took responsibility for Sri Lanka and got 4 wickets for just 9 runs. The way Hasaranga delivered for his team in the series decider was truly magnificent. He got the wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson and helped Sri Lanka to restrict their opposition below 90 runs. With the bat, too, Hasaranga remained not out and scored 14(9) runs. He was certainly one of the finds for not only Sri Lankan cricket but also for world cricket. After his performance, there's a rumor that RCB might go for Hasaranga in place of Adam Zampa in the IPL 2021.
4) Dhananjaya de Silva:
Dhananjaya de Silva was sublime in the second T20I against India. His calm and composed innings under pressure helped Sri Lanka to square the series, which was later won by Sri Lanka. Dhananjaya played an unbeaten 40 run innings and stitched to an essential 28 runs partnership first with Hasaranga, followed by Karunaratne. He hit 1 four and 1 six in his innings, showing how disciplined he was in his entire innings. He could have easily played some lofty shots, but he didn't do that, which eventually helped the host win the second T20I against India.
5) Rahul Chahar:
Rahul Chahar is one of the five key performers in the India-Sri Lanka T20I series. In the final T20I match Rahul Chahar took 3 important wickets for India. Ah, India didn't win the match; Rahul took all three Sri Lankan wickets in that last T20I match by giving away only 15 runs in his 4 overs. Although he didn't win the match, India's performance will definitely help Rahul Chahar ahead of his career.
Players like Chameera, Dasun Shanaka, Shikhar Dhawan, Kuldeep Yadav played well, but the above 5 performances were stood out for me.
Thank You...!
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