Kusal Mendis propels Sri Lanka

Colombo: Young Shardul Thakur registered his best T20 bowling figures as Sri Lanka lost their way in the middle overs after Kusal Mendis’ fifty to be restricted to 152/9 in a Nidahas Trophy Twenty20 match, here on Monday.

The match was reduced to 19-overs-a-side after over an hour was lost due to rain.

Mendis once again shone for Sri Lanka scoring 55 off 38 balls with the help of three fours and as many sixes before the Indian bowlers led by Thakur brought their side back into the game with wickets at regular intervals.

Thakur returned with impressive figures of 4/27, while young off-spinner Washinton Sundar (2/21) scalped two wickets as India made a strong fightback after leaking runs in the first 10 overs.

Vijay Shankar (1/30), Yuzvendra Chahal (1/34) and Jaydev Unadkat (1/33) all accounted for a wicket each.

But initially it looked Rohit Sharma’s decision to bowl first had backfired as Sri Lanka got off to a flier scoring 24 runs off the first two overs.

Left-arm pacer Unadkat was taken to the cleaners as he gave away 15 runs in the first over.

But India pulled things back bit with two wickets in back-to-back overs.

Thakur gave India the breakthrough when he dismissed Danushka Gunathilaka (17) in the third over with Suresh Raina taking a stunning catch at midwicket.

Sundar then cleaned up in-form Kushal Perera (3) in the next over as the batsman went for an expansive reverse sweep.