Dhoni-led India don’t Show Love

India made no changes to their playing eleven.

Sri Lanka made three Cha(mara)nges to the eleven that (Ase)last played the Indians – Danushka Gunathilaka, Kapugedera and Kasun Rajitha made way for Niroshan Dickwella, Twenty20 International debutant Gunaratne and Dilhara Fernando.

On winning the toss, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s skipper, inserted the visitors.

The Powerplay of Sri Lanka’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 29, and lost five wickets.

Dickwella, who faced a couple of balls, scored a run. Three balls into the match, he was stumped by Dhoni. Ravichandran Ashwin, the player of the match and the player of the series, broke the two-run stand.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, who faced a couple of balls, scored a run. Three balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Ashwin, who broke the one-run stand.

Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka’s skipper, faced nine balls, scoring eight. His runs came by way of boundaries. Seven balls later, he was caught by Hardik Pandya. Ashwin broke the nine-run stand.

Gunaratne, who faced a dozen balls, scored just four. Thirteen balls later, he was caught by Suresh Raina. Ashwin broke the eight-run stand.

Milinda Siriwardana, who faced a couple of balls, scored four. His runs came by way of a boundary. Five balls later, Ashish Nehra broke the one-run stand.

The sixth-wicket pair put on 27. Seekkuge Prasanna, whose innings included a couple of boundaries, had no reason to be in seventh heaven – he scored nine. Sixteen balls later, Ravindra Jadeja ran him out.

Dasun Shanaka hadn’t opened his account when he was dropped by Dhoni.

Sri Lanka scored 50 off 8.2 overs (51 balls). India had conceded five extras at that point.

Shanaka, whose 24-ball innings included a boundary and a couple of sixes, eventually scored 19. Sixteen balls later, Jadeja broke the six-run stand.

Sachithra Senanayake, who faced 16 balls, scored just eight. Twenty-nine balls later, he was caught by Dhoni. Raina broke the 18-run stand.

Thisara Perera, whose 20-ball innings included a boundary, scored a dozen. A couple of balls later, he was caught by Jadeja. Raina broke the one-run stand.

Dushmantha Chameera, whose run-a-ball innings included a boundary, scored nine. He was unbeaten.

Fernando, who faced half-a-dozen balls, scored a run. Fourteen balls after Perera’s dismissal, Jasprit Bumrah broke the nine-run stand.

India eventually conceded half-a-dozen extras. Sri Lanka were bundled out for 82 off 18 overs.

Yuvraj Singh, who bowled an over, conceded 15. He was wicketless, as was Pandya, who bowled a couple of overs, conceding 13.

Nehra, who bowled a couple of overs, conceded 17. He picked up a wicket. Bumrah, who bowled three overs, conceded 10. He picked up a wicket. Jadeja bowled four overs, including a maiden. He conceded 11, picking up a wicket.

Raina, who bowled a couple of overs, conceded half-a-dozen. He picked up a couple of wickets. Ashwin bowled four overs, including a maiden. He conceded eight, picking up four scalps.

The Powerplay of India’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 35, and lost a wicket.

Rohit Sharma, whose run-a-ball innings included a boundary and a six, scored 13. Thirty-two balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Chameera, who broke the 29-run stand.

India scored 50 off 8.3 overs (51 balls). Sri Lanka had conceded three extras at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

The second-wicket pair put on 50 off as many balls. While Shikhar Dhawan’s contribution to the partnership was 26, Ajinkya Rahane’s contribution to it was 22. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was three.

Dhawan, whose run-a-ball innings included five boundaries and a six, eventually scored 46. He was unbeaten, as was Rahane, who didn’t add to the aforementioned score. His 24-ball innings included a boundary.

India, who scored 84 for the loss of a wicket off 13.5 overs, won by nine wickets with 37 balls to spare.

Siriwardana, Dilshan and Prasanna bowled a wicketless over apiece. They conceded nine, four, and three, respectively.

Fernando, who bowled two wicketless overs, had no reason to be in seventh heaven. Gunaratne bowled 2.5 wicketless overs, conceding 22. Senanayake bowled four wicketless overs, conceding 22. Chameera bowled a couple of overs, conceding 14. He picked up the only wicket to fall.

India won the three-match series 2-1.