Pallekele: India’s new leadership duo, Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir, celebrated a successful start with a dramatic 3-0 series triumph over Sri Lanka. The final match of the series concluded in thrilling fashion, with India clinching a nail-biting Super Over victory in Pallekele on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka, tasked with chasing a total of 137 runs set by India, ended their innings tied at 137/8, forcing the game into a Super Over. In a decisive turn of events, India restricted Sri Lanka to just 2 runs in the Super Over and achieved the target of 3 runs effortlessly, sealing the series win.
India, batting first, encountered early difficulties, slipping to 48/5. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s promising start was cut short by Maheesh Theekshana, and captain Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for 8 runs while attempting a big shot. The middle order collapse continued with Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh falling for ducks, and Shivam Dube managing only 13 runs. At this stage, India was precariously positioned at 30/4 during the powerplay.
However, a crucial partnership between Shubman Gill (39) and Riyan Parag (26) provided some much-needed stability, adding 50 runs to the total. Both players were dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga in the same over, but a quickfire 25 from Washington Sundar enabled India to reach a total of 137/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
Sri Lanka’s bowling was spearheaded by debutant Chamindu Wickramasinghe, who took 1 for 17 in his 4-over spell. The game was further complicated for Sri Lanka by the injury to Matheesha Pathirana, who left the field after the 7th over, leading the team to rely extensively on spin bowling on a pitch favoring spinners.
Playing XIs:
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Asitha Fernando.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed.
With this series victory, India has showcased their resilience and strategic acumen under the new leadership of Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir, marking a strong beginning to their campaign.
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