Sri Lanka v India: Death bowling and all-rounders shine in India's T20 series win

New coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav enjoy victorious start to their stints

India captain Suryakumar Yadav steered his team to a seven-wicket victory in the second T20 at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy on July 28, 2024. AFP.

Hardik Pandya, centre, celebrates with captain Suryakumar Yadav, right, and Mohammed Siraj after taking the wicket of Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera. AFP

India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was in dazzling form once again, smashing 30 off 15 balls. AFP

India spinner Ravi Bishnoi picked up three wickets despite a facial injury. AP

Ravi Bishnoi was named player of the match on Sunday. AFP

India's Suryakumar Yadav hit 26 off 12 balls. AFP

Sri Lanka's captain Charith Asalanka and teammates congratulate Hardik Pandya after the match. AFP

India opener Sanju Samson is clean bowled by Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana for a duck. AFP

India carried the superb form they had shown during their T20 World Cup win in the Caribbean into the series against Sri Lanka, taking a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series which was the first assignment under new leadership.

India eased to a seven-wicket win in the rain curtailed second match in Pallekele, marking a successful start to a new era following the T20 International retirements of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

All eyes were on Gautam Gambhir – the hugely successful former opener who took over from Rahul Dravid as coach – and new captain Suryakumar Yadav.

Captaincy does not seem to have affected Yadav’s batting. He and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal powered India to victory chasing a rain-revised target of 78 in eight overs, reaching home with nine balls to spare.

Yadav made 26 from 12 balls and Jaiswal 30 from 15 in another one-sided win. India had scored 213-7 in the first T20 which was enough for a 43-run win. Yadav (58) and Jaiswal (40) had made an impact in that victory, too.

“We spoke about this before this tournament, what brand of cricket we want to play,” Yadav said. “Even though it was a shorter target, this is the template we want going ahead.”

The win was, however, set up by the bowlers who once again prospered in the death overs.

Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi and all-rounder Hardik Pandya shared five wickets between them to limit Sri Lanka to 161-9.

Sri Lanka collapsed from 130-2 to 140-6 and lost three further wickets, including two in the final over by spinner Axar Patel.

Bowlers had dragged India back into the contest in the first T20 as well after the hosts were on top at 140-1 after 14 overs

On Sunday, rain interrupted India's chase after just three balls and six runs without a wicket lost.

Play resumed with revised playing conditions and Yadav put on 39 with left-handed Jaiswal after Sanju Samson, brought in for Shubman Gill, fell for a duck.

Pacer Matheesha Pathirana snared Suryakumar and Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed Jaiswal but the job was already done.

Pandya finished with three fours and a six in his unbeaten 22 to complete another dominant win.

Big positives for India

More than the series result, the plans executed by the Indian team after the T20 World Cup win were of prominence, providing a glimpse into the mindset of the new management.

It is now clear that India will have a deep batting line up with at least two all-rounders. Pandya is the most important member of the squad while spinner Axar Patel has also turned into an indispensable part of the T20 team, having proven his worth in the World Cup with bat and ball.

Riyan Parag has received the full backing of the management with his wide range of mystery spin bowling to go with traditional middle order batting.

Parag was the most difficult bowler to hit against in the first two T20s, which should put him in the playing XI almost every time.

Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was equally good, picking up four wickets against the Sri Lankans despite getting a cut under the eye in play.

In batting, the superb form of the entire top order is a positive. However, batting conditions in Pallekele have been extremely friendly, which must be taken into account.

Areas of concern

Wicketkeeper remains a problematic area for India. Rishabh Pant continues to blow hot and cold in the format, despite playing 76 matches. His career strike rate is less than 130, which is far from ideal.

He has been the preferred keeper ahead of enticing options like Samson and Dhruv Jurel. If Pant remains on the same path, he will struggle to hold on to his spot under Gambhir’s unforgiving management style.

Also, the batting position of a finisher like Rinku Singh is worrisome as he is getting pushed further down the order to accommodate more established names, which means he is not getting enough balls to face.