Shreyas’s third 50+ of the series help India level Afghanistan with 12 successive wins

The shower of wins keeps on raining for India under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. Three T20I series since Rohit became the full-time captain of India and three white-wash wins, it can’t get better.

Surprisingly, Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka, chose to bat first after winning the toss. However, his decision turned out to be disastrous as Sri Lanka lost their first three wickets within the fourth over and a score of less than 15. Once again, it was the captain to the rescue. Shanaka’s late assault saw him score an unbeaten 38-ball 74 runs to guide Sri Lanka to a score of 146, which looked distant at one stage.

In reply, India once again lost Rohit early and once again, it was Dushmantha Chameera. As has been the case throughout this series, Shreyas Iyer was up to the task and scored an unbeaten 73 from 45 balls. Ravindra Jadeja’s knock of an unbeaten 15-ball 22, was a cherry on the top. India comfortably chased the target with six wickets in hand and 19 balls to spare to make a clean sweep of the series.

Sri Lanka succumb to a low start

Irrespective of Sri Lankan openers surviving the first six overs in the second T20I, it was a baffling decision by their skipper Shanaka, to bat first. Unlike the second T20I, Sri Lanka’s top three crumbled in the powerplay. In fact, they couldn’t even survive the first four overs.

As a result of the early jolts, the remaining batsmen had to be cautious, which is why they could score only 18 runs in the first six overs. In a completed T20I (where both teams were allotted 20 overs), their score of 18/3 in the first six became their lowest. Previously, against India in 2021, they had scored 23/1.

Shanaka, the lone warrior

Apart from the second T20I, Pathum Nissanka, the star in the series against Australia earlier, there were no significant contributions from him in the remaining two. When all else failed, it was the skipper who stepped up to the task.

Throughout this series, Shanaka scored at a strike rate of 196.8. Among Sri Lankan batsmen who have scored 100+ runs in a series, only Kumar Sangakkara against India in 2009 had scored at a better strike rate (201.5). Shanaka scored 26.6 percent of Sri Lanka’s runs this series when no other batsman contributed more than 16.3 percent.

Stupendous at the start, terrible while finishing

One of the biggest worries for India in recent times was their ability to pick up early wickets, to be more specific, in Powerplay. This series saw a void being filled as Indian bowlers constantly picked up wickets and more than wickets, the bowlers were misers. Indian bowlers in this series conceded at an economy of 4.4 in the first six overs, their joint best in a series (2+ innings).

However, in the department in which they had excelled in the series against West Indies, the death overs (16-20), they faltered really badly. After conceding 80 runs in the second T20I, India in the third conceded 68 runs in the last five overs. Throughout this series, Indian bowlers had an economy of 13 in this phase, their worst in a series (2+ innings).  

Scintillating Shreyas

India have a massive headache ahead of them once the full-strength squad is available, especially with Shreyas performing ever so consistently. With three 50+ scores in three innings, Shreyas took his tally of runs to 204 in this series.

The 204 runs scored by him is the most for an Indian in a three match T20I series. He went past Virat Kohli’s tally of 199 in 2016 against Australia. In addition, he also became the second Indian after Kohli himself in the 2016 series and the fifth overall batsman to hit a 50+ score in all three innings of a three match bilateral series.

To emboss more, throughout the series, in his 204-run stint, Shreyas has been immortal. David Warner (217) against Sri Lanka in 2019 is the only batsman to score more runs without being dismissed throughout the series. That’s not it, he is one among the three batsmen to have three unbeaten 50+ scores in a bilateral series. Warner against Sri Lanka in 2019 and Kohli against England in 2021 (five-match) are the other two.   

Sri Lanka, India’s bunny

Since the time Sri Lanka’s legends, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lasit Malinga and Tillakaratne Dilshan retired, it has been a path of pain for the island nation. While playing against India, the agony is even more deep. Post the 2014 T20 World Cup win in the final, Sri Lanka have won only four matches against India in 19 encounters.

Overall, India registered their 17th win against Sri Lanka in this format. This is the most number of wins for a team against an opponent in T20Is. Not only in the T20Is, even in the ODIs, India’s 93 wins against Sri Lanka is the most for a team against an opponent.

India leveled with Afghanistan

With a win in the first T20I against Sri Lanka, India became the second Test playing nation to have a streak of 10+ consecutive wins. Afghanistan with 12 and 11 were the leaders at that time with two streaks of 10+ consecutive wins.

By virtue of a win in the second and the third T20I, India have now equaled Afghanistan’s record of 12 consecutive wins from February 2018 till September 2019. In all the 12 wins for India, Rohit has been the captain. As for Afghanistan, in all the 12 wins, Asghar Afghan was their skipper.