SPORTS GOSSIP
3rd T20: Shreyas, Avesh help India complete sweep
Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan bowled brilliantly to destroy the top and middle order of Sri Lanka cheaply.
Sri Lanka was 5 down for 60 before Dasun Shanaka smashed a brilliant 74 runs knock to put his side on to a respectable total of 146 runs.
Although India lost their openers early, the 3rd successive half-century from Shreyas Iyer again made the chase an easy one for India to seal the series by 3-0.
Sri Lanka 20 overs 146-5
Shanaka 74*(38) Avesh 2-23 Chandimal 22 (27) Siraj 1-22
India 16.5 overs 148-4
S. Iyer 73*(45) Kumara 2-39 Jadeja 22*(15) Karunaratne 1-31
India rested all their senior bowlers in the 3rd T20I to give a proper chance to the young bowlers and they didn’t let them down with some exceptional bowling.
Avesh Khan Mohammad Siraj dismissed the in-form Lankan openers in the first two overs.
Avesh Khan picked up his second wicket in the 4th over to remove the Lankan top-order on just 11 runs.
In the 9th over, Ravi Bishnoi joined the party by dismissing Janith Liyanage on just 9 runs.
The experienced Dinesh Chandimal tried to play patiently and build the innings but Harshal Patel had other ideas as he dismissed him on 22 runs.
Dasun Shanka sizzles
Half the Sri Lanka side had departed on 60 runs when Dasun Shanaka started to accelerate.
He played an outstanding knock and smashed the Indian bowlers all around the ground in the death overs.
Shanaka saved his side from getting bowled out on a low score and with his power hitting, he put a fighting 146 runs on the board for the Indian team to chase.
He remained unbeaten on 74 runs off just 38 balls including 2 sixes and 9 fours.
India also didn’t have the best of the starts as they lost their skipper Rohit Sharma on just 5 runs in the second over.
Sanju Samson added 45 runs for the second wicket with Shreyas Iyer before getting caught out on 18 runs in Karunaratne’s over.
Deepak Hooda came in at No 4 and after playing a quick cameo of 21 runs off 16 balls, he was bowled out by Kumara in the 11th over.
Ravindra Jadeja then joined Iyer to get their side over the line.
Jadeja added the second consecutive 50 run partnership with Iyer to chase down the target of 146 runs in the 17th over.
Shreyas Iyer’s third successive half-century
Shreyas Iyer has been in excellent form after being promoted at no 3.
He scored another superb fifty to finish as the highest run-scorer of this series.
In the absence of Virat and Rahul, Shreyas Iyer turned out to be the match-winner for India in all the 3 games of this series.
Iyer thrashed an unbeaten 73 runs off just 45 deliveries.
This was the 3rd consecutive half-century for the right-hander in this series.
He smoked 9 fours and a six in his explosive knock.