1st T20I: Parag, Arshdeep & Axar star as India beat Sri Lanka by 43 runs, take 1-0 lead

PALLEKELE — Riyan Parag, Arshdeep Singh, and Axar Patel played pivotal roles with the ball as India beat Sri Lanka by 43 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

After captain Suryakumar Yadav smashed his 20th T20I half-century, while Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal hit attacking 40s in propelling India to a massive 213/7, Pathum Nissanka came out all guns blazing with a stylish 48-ball 79 and shared an 84-run opening stand with Kusal Mendis to keep Sri Lanka in the hunt as they chased the target.

But after that, Sri Lanka lost their remaining nine wickets for just 30 runs to end their innings at 170 in 19.2 overs, especially with five wickets falling from overs 15-18. While Riyan took 3-5, Arshdeep took 2-24 and Axar Patel picked 2-38.

Chasing 214, Nissanka began with two sumptuous boundaries off Arshdeep, followed by Mendis taking a brace of boundaries off Axar. Nissanka continued to be sublime – upper-cutting and pulling Mohammed Siraj for two sixes, followed by Mendis cutting and sweeping Ravi Bishnoi for a brace of boundaries.

After Mendis ended the Power-play with a sweep off Axar to ensure Sri Lanka amassed 55 runs off the Power play, the openers took a four each off Bishnoi. Mendis continued to be attacking by taking Hardik Pandya for two fours, before pulling Arshdeep for six.

But the left-arm pacer had the last laugh by having Mendis pull straight to deep square leg and break the 84-run opening partnership. Nissanka continued to be at his sublime best – pulling Arshdeep for a maximum, before getting his fifty in 34 balls as a direct hit deflected off stumps to make it six runs off the first ball of the 12th over.

Nissanka swung Hardik off his pads for four more, before reverse-sweeping and pulling off Axar to take consecutive boundaries. He brought up a fifty-run stand of his partnership with Mendis by clobbering Hardik over square-leg for six and had luck on his side when Bishnoi dropped his catch on 78.

But on the very next ball, Axar broke the 56-run partnership when he castled Nissanka with an arm ball and beat the batter for pace to dismiss him for 79. After Kusal Perera took two fours off him, Axar bounced back by having the batter to slog-sweep straight to deep square leg, to take two scalps in the 15th over.

India’s fightback continued as Bishnoi got a wicket on the last ball of his spell when a top-edge on Charith Asalanka’s slog-sweep was caught by deep square leg, followed by Dasun Shanaka run-out for a diamond duck.

Riyan Parag got his first T20I wicket by castling Kamindu Mendis, followed by Arshdeep having Wanindu Hasaranga caught at mid-on. Siraj had Matheesha Pathirana caught in the deep, followed by Parag taking out two remaining wickets to ensure India started the series with a win.

Brief scores:

India 213/7 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 58, Rishabh Pant 49; Matheesha Pathirana 4-40) beat Sri Lanka 170 in 19.2 overs (Pathum Nissanka 79, Kusal Mendis 45; Riyan Parag 3-5, Arshdeep Singh 2-24) by 43 runs