Shanaka led from the front and was adjudged the Player of the Match for his exploits. He recorded the fastest-ever T20I fifty by a Sri Lankan player by reaching his half-century in just 20 balls.
The captain’s pyrotechnics in the death overs propelled his side to post a mammoth total of 206-6. He also conceded four runs in a tense final over, where he had to defend 21 runs for victory.
Stating that Suryakumar and Axar almost took the game away with their middle-order onslaught. Shanaka said during the post-match presentation:
He continued:
The all-rounder continued his good run of form against India with his record knock. He has scored 225 runs across his last five T20I innings against the Men in Blue.
Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel stitched together a 91-run partnership for the sixth wicket against Sri Lanka
Team India had a horrid start while attempting to chase down the total after losing four wickets inside the powerplay. Kasun Rajitha, who announced his arrival at the same venue in 2016, repeated his exploits (two wickets for 22 runs off four overs) while Dilshan Madushanka (two wickets) and Chamika Karunaratne (one wicket) played their parts as well.
With almost all hopes lost, Suryakumar Yadav and Axar Patel took on the spinners, hitting four sixes in the space of seven deliveries in the middle overs to bring some life back into the contest. However, Sri Lanka were able to hold their nerve to break the 91-run stand which came off just 40 deliveries.
The third T20I between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. The series is up for grabs with the scoreline reading 1-1 after the Lankans clawed their way back into the series following a 16-run win in the second T20I on Thursday, January 5.
Is Dasun Shanaka among the most underrated T20 players in the world at the moment? Let us know what you think.
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