Ind vs SL, 3rd T20: Hosts complete clean sweep

Mumbai: India inflicted a 3-0 whitewash on a spineless Sri Lanka after cruising to a five-wicket win in the concluding T20 match at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.

Defending 136 runs, Sri Lankan pacers got some movement and bounce from the wicket to trouble the Indian batsmen but posting a small target on the board prevented them from posting a tough challenge to the hosts.

Lankans removed Indian openers early as K.L. Rahul was trapped in front by Dushmantha Chameera and Rohit (27) top edged a pull off Dasun Shanaka to Kusal Perera at deep square leg.

Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey survived some hostile bowling to put India on course.

Iyer (30) was unfortunately run out at the non strikers’ end but his crucial 42-run stand with Pandey calmed unsettled nerves.

Promoted up the order, Hardik Pandya was done in by extra bounce and Pandey (32) was cleaned up by an impressive Chameera.

After initial jitters, Dinesh Karthik and M.S. Dhoni took the Rohit Sharma-led side home.

Sri Lank skipper Thisara Perera rotated his bowlers smartly but it wasn’t enough as the visitors, who snapped a 12-match ODI losing streak earlier on the tour, suffered their second successive 3-0 whitewash in T20 internationals.

Earlier put into bat, Sri Lanka came up with yet another dismal display with the bat to put up a mere 135/7.

The visitors were pegged back by Jaydev Unadkat’s (2/15) inspired bowling in his first spell.

They could never recover from the early jolts of losing in-form Upul Tharanga and Kusal Perera and were reduced to 18/3 in 3.3 overs.

Asela Gunaratne was the top scorer with 36 while Shanaka (29 not out) and Akila Dhananjaya took 18 runs of the last over, bowled by Mohammed Siraj, to give them some lift. Hardik Pandya also picked couple of wickets.

Washington Sundar made his T20 debut in the match, becoming the youngest Indian at 18 years and 80 days to make T20 debut.

Scorecard
Sri Lanka: N. Dickwella c Mohammed Siraj b Unadkat 1, W. Tharanga c Pandya b Unadkat 11, M. Perera c & b Washington Sundar 4, S. Samarawickrama c Karthik b Pandya 21, D. Gunaratne c Kuldeep Yadav b Pandya 36, M.D. Gunathilaka c Pandya b Kuldeep Yadav 3, N. Perera c Sharma b Mohammed Siraj 11, M. Shanaka (not out) 29, A Dananjaya (not out). Extras: (lb 2, w 6) 8. Total: ( for 7 wkts, in 20 overs) 135.
FoW: 1-8, 2-14, 3-18, 4-56, 5-72, 6-85, 7-111.
Bowling: Sundar 4-0-22-1, Unadkat 4-0-15-2 (1w), Siraj 4-0-45-1 (2w), Pandya 4-0-25-2 (3w), Kuldeep 4-0-26-1.
India: R. Sharma (c) c M. Perera b Shanaka 27, K.L. Rahul lbw b Chameera 4, S. Iyer run out (Dananjaya) 30, M. Pandey b Chameera 32, H. Pandya c †Dickwella b Shanaka 4, D. Karthik (not out) 18, M.S. Dhoni † (not out) 16. Extras: (lb 5, w 3) 8. Total: (for 5 wkts, in 19.2 overs) 139.
FoW: 1-17, 2-39, 3-81, 4-99, 5-108
Bowling: Dananjaya 4-0-27-0 (1w), Chameera 4-0-22-2 (2w), Perera 3.2-0-22-0, Fernando 4-0-36-0, Shanaka 4-0-27-2.