IND vs SL | Indore T20I Evaluation Chart - Navdeep Saini, KL Rahul take India to easy victory

The tone for the game was set when Sri Lanka were put in to bat on what seemed like a 170-run wicket yet the Lankans struggled to get off to a good start. Slowly yet steadily, the pressure crept to no avail as Sri Lankan batsmen believed in harakiri more than building the innings. Losing wicket at regular interval meant that they never had the platform to have the late surge that could take them to a 160-170 kind of score at the Holkar Stadium. A triple boundary last over certainly took them to a total 142, on a track which looked gorgeous to bat on. 

In reply, India got off the best of starts with KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan laying the platform for the middle-order batsmen to exploit. While Rahul was the aggressor in the partnership, Dhawan anchored the innings to hold an end. Following their dismissal, the duo of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer took over the mantle as they smacked the Lankan bowlers across the ground for an easy victory.  

Oshada Fernando’s uncultured charge at Kuldeep Yadav was one point where Sri Lanka lost the plot of their batting order. If the right-hander had just held on to the dear crease, Kusal Perera might have taken them to a bigger total on the day. It was a great delivery aided by the poor choice of a shot from Oshada, which was the difference between 142 and a 160 on a track that was good to bat.  

Oshada Fernando was a disappointment in the game, a massive one for the visiting Sri Lankan side who were hoping that he would put on a mature performance. When he entered the crease, the visitors were already 2 down and needed a partnership between Oshada and Kusal Perera to take them to a respectable target. However, he gave it away going for a wild hoick missing Kuldeep Yadav’s wrong-un completely, show his maturity or the lack of one in this case. 

Despite getting six runs off the first delivery in the innings, the Sri Lankan openers had a lacklustre powerplay on a batting-friendly track at the Holkar Stadium. Only Avishka Fernando scored a boundary every over in the powerplay before he was dismissed by Washington Sundar. At the end of the powerplay, the visitors had piled up just 48 runs, putting them in dire need of runs during the sluggish part of the innings. 

Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, it never reached the death overs to test their depth with the bowling. Kohli and Iyer ensured that the visiting bowling attack was not spared, crashing them to all parts of the ground. While Iyer aimed for the upper tier, Kohli’s fancy footwork and neat timing got the ball across to the square leg boundary as they scored 45 runs in the last four overs. 

Sri Lanka gave India a run for their money on who would field worse on the day, with multiple misfields in just the powerplay. Despite the futile attempt from Isuru Udana, who dived full length to save a boundary, the others flocked around and fielded like a bunch of headless chickens on the field. 

To be honest, this game was a dull-one for the crowd, with both sides playing ever-so-slowly. However, towards the latter half of the Indian innings, Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli ensured that the home fans got value for their money in an otherwise boring game in Indore.