Sri Lanka beat India in the third T20I on Thursday, 29 July to clinch the series 2-1. This was Sri Lanka’s first series win against team India across formats since 2008.
By doing so, the inexperienced team led by young Dasun Shanka has managed to change the way the cricketing world looks at them in the course of this series.
After an embarrassing defeat in the first match of the tour, Sri Lanka managed to turn the tables and win the T20I series 2-1. This was something that no one expected despite acheiving the feat against a depleted Indian squad due to the COVID-19 situation in visitor's camp.
Speaking about the T20I series win, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka credited the youngsters who played crucial roles in winning the series. He said that this team had a bigger goal of becoming a world-class unit one day.
“Not only myself, all the boys are working really hard. In the last three months starting from the Bangladesh series, they were keen to win and they want to be world-class.
The way Chameera started, the way Wanindu performed throughout, how Akila performed, how calm DDS was, and I should mention Karunaratne .. he is a gem to Sri Lankan cricket. All the boys did right job. They handled the situation well and used their brains very well. I am lucky to lead this team,” Dasun Shanaka said in the post-match presentation.
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The young side displayed a spirited performance in the third T20I. The team managed to restrict India to a sub-par 82/8 in 20 overs. The Sri Lankan spinners spun a web around India and birthday-boy Wanidu Hasaranga showed the world why he is ranked number two in the ICC T20I bowling rankings by picking up 4/9 in his four overs. Sri Lankan batsmen chased the target with seven wickets to spare.
The Sri Lanka skipper admitted that this was his team’s best performance in years.
“This is the best performance we have had in the last few years. I had the (bowling) options with me and used them in the middle,” he said.
He added that he would have liked the team to bat better at the start but said that they will learn with more experience.
“When a low score is set, it's good if you get a more positive start. But they are young and learning, they'll be better in the future,” he said.
He also thanked BCCI for playing the last two matches despite missing nine players.
“I should thank BCCI, under these circumstances they agreed to play. Special thanks to Rahul Dravid and Shikhar Dhawan,” he concluded.
