India v Sri Lanka T20I Series Review: Home team prevails over inexperienced Islanders

There wasn’t much interest in 3-match T20 series between India and Sri Lanka before it began. India had just completed a clinical whitewashing of Australia in the three-match T20 series played in the Aussies’ backyard and was to play a second string Sri Lankan side on their own soil. It was hence expected that the home team would steamroll the visiting side with ease. Things, however, did not begin as expected. A young and inexperienced Sri Lanka, led by the enigmatic Dinesh Chandimal, routed India in the first match in Pune by 5 wickets. The Indian batsmen struggled to cope with the young Lankan pacers who were simply brilliant on a seaming Pune wicket. After the stunning loss, India ensured that there were no more hiccups and went on to win the second and third T20Is at Ranchi and Vishakapatnam quite comfortably. While they won the second T20I by 69 runs, they clinched the final one by 9 wickets and thereby took the series 2-1.

The young Sri Lankan side had showed some great promise initially but could not contain it against the robust batting might of the opposition in the remaining games. For India, things are looking good and they are shaping up well for the World T20 to be played in India next month.

Impact players of the series

India

Ravichandran Ashwin: It won’t be too far-fetched to say that Ashwin, currently, is in the form of his life. The man-of-the-series and the man-of-the-match of the last game has hit a purple patch and the batsmen just don’t have answers to his myriad varieties and skills. The off-spinner has been opening the bowling for the team with great results and took 9 wickets in the series at an economy of just 3 runs to the over. He was clearly the standalone bowler of the tournament.

Shikhar Dhawan: The last 12 months or so have been pretty patchy for the left-handed opener. However, Dhawan came into his own in the series and was at his fluent best; striking the ball on both sides of the wicket effortlessly. With a 51 and a 46 not out in the last two matches, Dhawan showed why he is such a dangerous proposition at the top of the order. A marked difference in the batsman’s batting was the improvement in his leg-side play; especially the pick-up shot he played to the fast bowlers there. The series gave us a much improved and complete Shikhar Dhawan the batsman.

Ravindra Jadeja: Although he just took 3 wickets in the series, but Ravindra Jadeja made his mark in it in more ways than one. His bowling was incisive and accurate as ever and he was an absolute livewire on the field, picking up magnificent catches and effecting remarkable run-outs. The 27-year-old was extremely economical, going for less than 6 runs per over and was the perfect foil to Ashwin.

Sri Lanka

Dushmantha Chameera: This 24-year-old right-arm fast bowler was clearly the find of the series for Sri Lanka. He made the ball talk on all the pitches and troubled the stars in the Indian batting line-up regularly. The young and lanky bowler has pace, swings the ball both ways and can extract movement off the pitch. Not just for his 5 wickets in the series, but the sheer skills and fearlessness that he displayed, Dushmantha Chameera is a great find for Sri Lanka and should have a bright future ahead of him.

Kasun Rajitha: The right-arm fast bowler made his debut in the series and made a huge impact straightaway taking 3/29 in his first match itself. Although he went wicketless in the second game and was dropped for the third, there is no denying that the 22-year-old has a definite spark about him. He got some fine seam movement at a good pace and is definitely one to watch out for.

Dinesh Chandimal: He was the only saving grace in the Sri Lankan batting line-up which floundered and fumbled against the Indian bowlers. With two vital 30 plus scores, he tried to hold his team’s innings together but never got genuine support from the others. Chandimal the captain too was quite efficient and led his side admirably despite the losses.

Things that clicked

India: The one noticeable feature for India in this series was the definitive roles assigned for each player and the way they excelled at it; except for the first game which was clearly an aberration. The openers attacked with caution, the middle-order tried to build on the innings and Hardik Panya and Suresh Raina were given the license to go the whole hog towards the end.

In the bowling department, Ashwin bowled in the powerplay overs to contain the batsmen, a strategy that worked perfectly. The young Jasprit Bumrah, on the other hand, was given the responsibility to bowl yorkers at the death and he seems to be relishing that part. Jadeja, Ashish Nehra, and the other part-timers utilized the remaining overs astutely.

The field settings by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni were spot on and the likes of Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya were exceptional while manning the boundaries and stopping the singles and twos in the inner circle.

Sri Lanka: Not much worked for the visiting side apart from their bowling. In Kasun Rajitha and Dushmantha Chameera, they had two young fast-bowlers who made dents into the opposition batting and bowled with fine precision. Off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake and medium-pacer Thisara Perera tried to hold the middle and death overs with mixed results.

Their batting was shoddy and even the experienced Tillakaratne Dilshan failed to make a mark. The others, barring captain Chandimal, and lower-middle order batsmen Chamara Kapugedera and Milinda Siriwardana, could not do much and the team suffered badly as a result. What was even more shocking was that the Sri Lankan fielding –known as their strength – too was lackluster in this series.

Endnote: While India should be happy with two back to back T20 series victory, they should be aware that Sri Lanka and Australia weren’t at their full strength. Their real test will begin in the Asia Cup T20 later this month where all the teams are expected to be at their fighting best. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, has some genuine questions to answer. But once the likes of Angelo Matthews, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara and Rangana Herath return to the squad, they will be definitely bolstered. What they really need though are some solid batsmen at the top and middle-order. Unless they can do so, Sri Lanka will struggle.

Either way, the coming Asia Cup will give an opportunity for both the teams to fit the jigsaw of their team one last time before the World Cup comes along. Interesting times hence lie ahead.