India secures a dominant 3-0 series whitewash against Sri Lanka, triumphing in a nail-biting Super Over. Read about the match’s pivotal moments and player highlights.
Introduction
It was a nail-biting finish in the third T20I, as India pulled off a dramatic win over Sri Lanka in the Super Over to complete a 3-0 whitewash of the series at Pallekele. This came after an extraordinary comeback that underlined India’s resilience and tactical brilliance.
Good Start by Sri Lanka, Sudden Collapse
Sri Lanka, once having opted to field, did well to restrict India to 137 for 9 on a pitch assisting both seamers and spinners equally. The visitors lost their fast bowler, Matheesha Pathirana, through an injury, but the others did well with the ball.
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Sri Lanka’s chase got off to a confident start with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis adding a solid 58 for the opening wicket. A lightning quick 46 off 34 balls by Kusal Perera further anchored the innings. Once again, though, a middle order collapse not too different from what was seen in their earlier performances ensued, eventually reducing them to 137 for 8 and setting up another dramatic Super Over.
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India’s Tactical Brilliance
Rinku Singh’s Unlikely Heroics: It was simply a game-changing call on the part of India to give the ball to Rinku Singh—in the 19th over—who has never bowled a ball in a T20I before. Two vital wickets came at a cost of three runs, and Rinku was cool as ice. That put Sri Lanka in a situation where they needed six runs off the last over, which was also going to be bowled by a first-time T20I bowler, Suryakumar Yadav.
Suryakumar Yadav: Cool as Ice Under Pressure
Suryakumar, despite the huge pressure and being a part-time bowler himself, really came up with a great over, where he conceded just five runs and picked up two wickets to have the game tied and go into a Super Over.
Drama of the Super Over
Washington Sundar’s Breakthrough: Washington Sundar started the Super Over with a wide but then more than made up for it with two big wickets, dismissing Kusal Perera and Pathum Nissanka on successive deliveries. He bowled well to set a small target of three runs for India to win.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Winning Boundary
India scored the target off the very final ball, with Suryakumar Yadav sweeping Maheesh Theekshana to short fine leg. It was fumbled by Asitha Fernando, and though he managed to retrieve the ball, it was just enough to permit it to reach the boundary, sealing India’s win.
Batting Highlights:
Shubman Gill contributed with his steady 39 runs to stabilize the innings for India. His calm approach at the crease laid the base for the team. Riyan Parag also batted extremely well for his important 26 runs. His partnership with Gill kept the Indian innings afloat at a time when it mattered in the game. For Sri Lanka, Kusal Perera top-scored with an aggressive 46 runs. Aggressive from the word go, his inning was an exhibition of his intent to dominate the Indian bowlers and brought Sri Lanka remarkably close to target. This was the key bright spot for Sri Lanka in an otherwise disappointing match.
Bowling Highlights
Sri Lanka did reply with great medicine from the other side. Maheesh Theekshana spearheaded SL’s bowling attack with impressive figures of 3 for 28. He gave important wickets at crucial intervals to keep a tab on India’s total. Wanindu Hasaranga offered great support to complement Theekshana with his own figures of 2 for 29, saying much about his ability and consistency.
The unlikely heroes on the Indian side, in the final overs, were Rinku Singh and Suryakumar Yadav. For both bowlers, who were inexperienced in T20Is, it was simply incredible, the tactical acumen shown. The timely wickets taken by them in the dying moments of the game that essentially tied the match finally worked to the benefit of India in the Super Over.
Turning Points
Sri Lanka’s Middle Order Collapse: The middle-order collapse of Sri Lanka was instrumental in shifting the momentum towards India. What seemed an easy chase, with 30 runs required off 30 balls, ended with wickets falling in quick succession and the scores being levelled.
Indian Last Over Bowling
The decision to bowl two first-time T20I bowlers in the final overs was a gamble on India’s part. In both cases, Rinku and Suryakumar came out with flying colors since they did show great composure and handled pressure effectively to provide crucial breaks.
Conclusion: Dominant 3-0 Series Victory
The victory of India against Sri Lanka in the Super Over reflects a testament to strategic planning, resilience, and the ability to perform under pressure. This game will go down in memory as one of the games that got away, with unexpected heroes coming up through the closing moments. That 3-0 whitewash in this series is an achievement in itself, underlining how deep and versatile India are in the shortest format.