SKY needs just one ball in the Super Over to win it for India. Flat and quick, attempted carrom ball but veering into the pads, SKY drops to one knee and sweeps it flat and hard to short fine leg, where Asitha Fernando, fumbles and lets the ball through his legs. Sums up SL's night. The ball rolls into the boundary. SKY's India begin their new era with a 3-0 sweep of SL
Sri Lanka vs India, 3rd T20I at Kandy, SL vs IND, Jul 30 2024 - Match Result
12.15am SKY collects the series trophy and hands it to his team-mates. Parag holds it aloft and celebrates with Rinku. Washington is all smiles. Even coach Gambhir breaks into a smile. That is that. Hope you enjoyed our coverage of the T20I series as much as we did bringing it to you. Do come back for the ODI series, which begins on August 2. Until then, this is Deivarayan Muthu signing off the behalf of Hemant Brar and P Ranjith. Take care and good night.
Afaq: ""..who breaks into a smile." Looks like Dravid's message fulfilled its purpose."
Krish: "Strange to think that despite being in this team, Matheesha Pathirana played no part in this match because of the shoulder injury. Easily the Lankan POTS, he could have been the difference today."
11.55pm What a bizarre finish. Heartbreak for SL. Joy for India. SKY hugs Gambhir, who breaks into a little smile as well. SL will be kicking themselves for losing 9 for 29, including the Super Over. India had no business winning this game. SKY and Rinku ended up bowling India to victory along with Washington. What just happened?
SKY, Player of the Series and winning captain: I think more than the last over, when we were 30 for 4 and 48 for 5, the way we showed character [with the bat]. 140 was a par score on this track. I told them I've seen such kinds of games and I told the boys if you put your heart into it, you can pull it off. The amount of skill they have and self-confidence they have - it makes my job easy. The care for each other they show is unbelievable. They made my job easy and when I go into bat, I have little pressure and I just express myself. I don't want to be the captain. I want to be the leader
Asalanka, SL captain: Definitely, really disappointed, especially the middle order and lower-middle order. Very bad shot selection. The thinking was spinners were bowling and that's why Hasaranga came up the order and we gave him the license to hit one or two boundaries. I think especially we played some wrong shots and when the ball gets old, the shot selection has to be spot on. We can't give excuses and we have to do more than this. I want to see good batting performance in ODIs and I think the boys will do better.
Washington, Player of the Match: I guess all the work I did and a lot of blessings from god helped me. I just wanted to try and stay calm and focus on what I needed to do. Grateful to Surya to throw the ball to come in that kind of a situation. Very grateful to have gotten an opportunity in this game. I just need to do what I need to do. We did a bit of homework against their batsmen and there was some purchase in the wicket and I just sort of had to hit the right length.
Piyush Shah: "India had no business winning this.. but they did!"
nc: "The current SL team reminds me of the Indian cricket team of the 80s and the 90s. Batting collapses like the one by SL has had in this series were quite frequent especially against quality teams. But look where India is today. So don't lose heart SL. Things can only go up from here. "
Krish : "Lankan batting in this series has been a nightmare for the entire cricket fraternity in Sri Lanka, especially after the women's team won the World Cup during the time this series was played "
Parag: I think the intent [with the ball] was to keep it simple. It's easy to get carried away when it's turning much. I just had to hit the right areas. Rinku bhai and Surya at the end... I've tried it out at domestic. It [legspin] has been coming out well at the nets. It was fun and we didn't feel the nerves. I was sure Siraj was going to bowl but Surya bhai came in. It was fun and at the same time we are ruthless.
11.48pm Washington sips some water and takes a breather. Job well done. SL huddle up. Will Theekshana bowl the Super Over for the hosts? Yep. SKY has to come out to bat for India after doing the job for India in the 20th over. Indeed, captain SKY and vice-captain Gill will open the batting for India in the Super Over
Nissanka can't believe it! He drags a catch to deep midwicket. 102ks slider from Washington, this is much fuller, Nissanka can't get enough elevation to clear the outfielder. Hits it flat to Rinku at deep midwicket. Washington wheels away in celebration. He's had a great few weeks in T20Is. SKY punches his fist. India are on the verge of pulling off an unbelievable win
Nissanka walks into bat
short and into the pitch from round the wicket by Washington. The ball isn't really coming onto the bat. The slowness of the surface has KJP dragging a pull to deep square leg, where Bishnoi holds onto the catch
pushed through on middle and leg, flat and quick from Washy, Mendis drops down to one knee and sweeps it hard and flat to deep square leg
tossed up and drifts away so wide of off stump, off-side wide from Washy. Mendis, having shuffled across off, does not meet with a sweep
11.40pm Washy will bowl the Super Over for India. The two Kusals - Mendis and Perera - walk out to bat for SL in the Super Over. SKY has a chat with Washy. Three men out on the leg side
11.35pm Right then, are you ready for a Super-Over finish? Siraj is seen selecting the ball for India. At one point, SL are cruising in their chase, but they collapsed spectacularly once again. SKY and Rinku, bowling for the first time in T20Is, shared four wickets between them in the last two overs on a surface that offered big turn and bounce even to part-time spinners.
Virat Mishra: "No captain would have thought in his wildest dreams to bowl two part time spinners at death when their main bowlers have overs left. Rightly said by Agar, Surya is a bowlers' captain. Bravo, SKY!! You made my day."
Shrikant : "The current Indian team (any composition) reminds me of Australian team of my younger age. These teams do not feel that they are out of the game till the last ball and invariably they are right. "
ARK: "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING?!? ARE THEY JUST RECREATING THE WC FINAL? WOW. WASHI, RINKU, SURYA. SURYA'S CAPTAINCY!! WHAT A DEBUT SERIES AS CAPTAIN FOR HIM!"
pushed through and outside off, Wickramasinghe reaches out for the ball and hoicks it away to wide long-on this time. Wickramasinghe tears back for the second and sets up a Super Over SKY gives away just five runs and takes two wickets off the last over
SL need three off the last ball
just short of a length and on off, Wickramasinghe bashes it to wide long-off. He scampers back for the second. The throw is to SKY. SKY gathers the ball and throws it to the keeper but the debutant is in
wide of the crease, fullish and skidding into middle, played back to SKY for a single
SKY is on a hat-trick. Asitha to face the hat-trick ball
Samson thinks he has his man. SKY goes wide of the crease and slides one down the leg side. Theekshana sinks to one knee for a sweep. Samson thinks he has nicked it behind. There's a deflection but was it off the bat? There's a spike as the ball passes the glove. Theekshana gloves it behind. Samson holds onto this chance. The on-field not-out decision has been reversed. Theekshana drags himself back into the dugout. High drama in Pallekele
Theekshana in at No.9
Maiden T20I wicket for SKY now! What are you doing, SL? Shorter and into the pitch by SKY. Mendis goes for the reverse-sweep, and can only miscue it to Rinku at squareish third. SKY and India are onto something
short and outside off, breaks away sharply. Biiiig turn and bounce for SKY. Mendis swishes and misses
India can have only four men outside the circle because of an over-rate penalty. Oh hello! SKY himself will bowl the last over
Golden arm: Rinku Singh! Caught by Gill at deep midwicket. Back of a length and into the pitch from round the wicket, Mendis can only drag it to Gill. He can't clear the outfielder
short and on middle from round the stumps, hacked to midwicket
Rajesh: "My day is made. Saw Gambhir smile."
reverse-swatted over midwicket for a double
Omkesh: "Poor match awareness by Khaleel... Could have done better. Cannot give 6 extra runs in penultimate over when opponent needed 21 runs"
whipped away confidently through midwicket
Kamindu Mendis is the new batter
Rinku takes the return catch and puts a smile on coach Gambhir's face. Flat and quick on leg stump from round the wicket, shortish in length, cramping Kusal for room on the pull. He skies it in the air and Rinku takes it himself for his maiden T20I wicket
KJP shapes for a reverse-sweep and misses this flat, quick offbreak
SKY continues to shake things up at the death. In the first match, Parag operated at the death. In the second it was Axar. Here he throws the ball to Rinku who will bowl offspin from around the wicket
KJP rides the bounce of this shortish ball outside off and secures a single to deep third
back of a length and holds its line outside off, well inside the tramline this time, left alone by KJP
Siraj walks up to Khaheel and has a chat with him
yet another wide from Khaleel. 111ks and veering down the leg side
another bad ball from Khaleel. Back of a length and slanting down the leg side. He misdirects another cutter
fullish and slanting into middle and leg, knocked away through midwicket. Bishnoi fumbles, allowing an easy double for SL
tip and run to cover
another ill-directed cutter, too wide of off
full and swerves away outside off from round the wicket, another slowie from Khaleel, but it's an off-side wide
1W | ||||
1W | 1W | |||
1W | ||||
1W | ||||
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium | |
Toss | Sri Lanka, elected to field first |
Series | |
Season | 2024 |
Player Of The Match | |
Player Of The Series | |
Series result | India won the 3-match series 3-0 |
Match number | T20I no. 2769 |
Hours of play (local time) | 19.00 start, First Session 19.00-20.30, Interval 20.30-20.50, Second Session 20.50-22.20 |
Match days | 30 July 2024 - night (20-over match) |
T20I debut | |
Umpires | |
TV Umpire | |
Reserve Umpire | |
Match Referee |
Over 20 • SL 137/8