Underfire from many quarters for his slow and sagacious batting, Shikhar Dhawan seemed a bit more uncomplicated in his approach today, getting off to a good start. The strong powerplay, which helped India set up a base of 63/0, made up for the average middle-order batting display. Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer disappointed with the bat but the lower order cameos by Shardul Thakur and Manish Pandey ensured India went past 200 runs to give the visitors a daunting total to chase down.

The huge target was going to be a huge one for the visitors and the pressure got the better of the Lankan top order. Jasprit Bumrah was at his lethal best, making the visitors huff and puff, while Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur used their variations to good effect. By the end of the powerplay, it was clear that Sri Lanka were no match to India’s standards. The visitors eventually folded up for a paltry total of 123 as India secured the T20I series 2-0. 

Of course the last two overs of the Indian innings. Sri Lanka had done well in the overs between 8 to 15 to put a blip to India’s run-scoring chart and with the big hitters like Sanju Samson, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer back in the hut. Things needed more careful planning for Sri Lanka but by conceding freebies to the duo of Shardul Thakur and Manish Pandey - who collected 34 runs in the last two overs - Sri Lanka lost the game right at the end of the first innings. 

The low point for me was to see Malinga struggle in the entirety of the game. Sure enough, end beckons for everyone and Malinga, time and again, has shown that he can make a comeback but today had an inevitable touch to it. He seemed a bit more tired, a man who had lost his Midas touch. I hope it was just a blip to his stunning career and we will get to see the Malinga, of fire and brimstone, with all his glory during the Indian Premier League, come this April.

India totally dominated the powerplay, all thanks to Lasith Malinga and Angelo Mathews’ wayward bowling, to ensure that it would be a cakewalk for them afterwards. With the wicket being slightly two-paced, the ball stopped in their course, but that hardly mattered for KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan who cruised their way to 63/0 in the first six overs.

Had Sri Lanka not spent 34 runs in the last two overs, it could have been theirs. But hey, the fickleness of T20 cricket endured as Shardul Thakur and Manish Pandey smashed Lahiru Kumara and Lasith Malinga to smithereens to take the hosts to a 200-plus total. The easy full balls that Malinga provided was a far cry from the times he used to dominate the death overs with surgical precision.  

Sri Lanka were below average in their fielding efforts today, with the hilarious part being their inability to understand where to place their fielders at the right positions. There were at least four misjudgements which in normal situations, should have been easy catches. The ground fielding failed to inspire any confidence as once the ball pierced through the gaps, no one was really trying to chase it, for the fact that writing was on the wall. It could have been much much better.

A dull game, powered by some occasional burst of individual performance, but as a whole, it lacked the thrill. Yes, Sri Lanka were absolutely shambolic in all three departments, making the game a cakewalk for the fans. If anything, it was the performance of Saini and Thakur that would be the takeaway for me as India set foot for the Aussie challenge from January 14 in Mumbai.