Pune: Sri Lanka today pulled off an easy win in the first T20 against India, beating the hosts decisively by five wickets. The victory in the first game gives Sri Lanka an early lead in the three-match series.
Chasing a target of 102 runs, captain Dinesh Chandimal (35) and Chamara Kapugedera (25) contributed to the vistory for their team.
Ashish Nehra and Ravichandran Ashwin were the most effective bowlers from the Indian side with 2-2 wickets each.
Kasun Rajitha was declared 'Man of the Match' for his stupendous performance of 3/29 in his debut match.
After having decided to bowl first, Sri Lanka bowled out India for a minimal total of 101 in 18.5 overs.
After having managed early breakthroughs with Rohit Sharma (0) and Ajinkaya Rahane (4), Sri Lankan bowlers outplayed Indian batsmen right till the end.
Fall of wickets continued for India as Shikhar Dhawan (9), Suresh Raina (20), MS Dhoni (2), Yuvraj Singh (10), Hardik Pandya (2) and Ravindra Jadeja (6) also failed to stay on the field for long.
Debutant Kasun Rajitha (3/29) and Dasun Shanaka (3/16) turned out to be the most successful bowlers for Sri Lanka.
Reckoning it as a high-scoring match, Sunil Gavaskar had said, "It has a decent covering of grass. There might just be a little bit of movement with the new ball, but the grass will also hold the pitch together. Dew might play a factor."Teams:
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal(w/c), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Seekkuge Prasanna, Milinda Siriwardana, Danushka Gunathilaka, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Asela Gunaratne, Chamara Kapugedera, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilhara Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Binura Fernando, Sachithra Senanayake, Jeffrey Vandersay, Niroshan Dickwella
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w/c), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pawan Negi
