Sri Lanka Seal Series 2-1 after Easy Win over India in Third T20I

Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga celebrates the dismissal of India’s Krunal Pandya during the ODI match between India and Sri Lanka, at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo July 27. (ANI photo)

COLOMBO – Wanindu Hasaranga picked four wickets before Sri Lankan batsmen wrapped an easy win in the third and final T20I against India to clinch the three-match series 2-1 July 29.

Sri Lanka needed 82 runs to win against the depleted Indian side in the series decider and the hosts chase down the target comfortably inside 15 overs. Chasing 82, Sri Lanka got off to a decent start as Rahul Chahar removed opening batsman Avishka Fernando in the sixth over. It was a slow start from Sri Lanka but the hosts were far from any trouble as they only needed 82 runs to win.

Chahar did pick two more wickets as he dismissed Minod Bhanuka and Sadeera Samarawickrama but wasn’t able to stop Sri Lanka from chasing the target.

Earlier, Hasaranga celebrated his 24th birthday in style as he picked four wickets to restrict India to 81/8.

Opting to bat first, India got off to bad start as the visitors lost skipper Shikhar Dhawan in the first over. A mix-up in the middle resulted in Devdutt Padikkal getting run out in the fifth over.

Sanju Samson’s wicket in the same over only dented India’s chances of having a decent total. Ruturaj Gaikwad (14), who was playing well, too departed in the fifth over.

India lost three wickets in the fifth over and Nitish Rana’s dismissal in the ninth over left the visitors reeling at 36/5 with no recognized batsman at the crease.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav then stitched a 19-run stand for the sixth wicket however, Hasaranga sent back the pacer in the 15th over.

After 15 overs, India’s score was 55/6 with Kuldeep and Rahul Chahar at the crease.

India kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were eight down for 63 before Kuldeep and Sakariya stitched an 18-run stand as visitors posted 81 in the allotted 20 overs.

Brief Scores: India 81/8 (Kuldeep Yadav 23*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 16; Wanindu Hasaranga 4-9); Sri Lanka 82/3 (Dhananjaya de Silva 23*, Minod Bhanuka 18; Rahul Chahar 3-15).