IND vs SL 1st T20I: India records two-run win over Sri Lanka, takes 1-0 lead in the Series

IND vs SL 1st T20I: The three-match T-20I series between India and Sri Lanka roared off with a fascinating start as Mumbai witnessed an epic encounter in the first game. India defeated Sri Lanka by 2 runs in a riveting fixture to ride on a confident start and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Winning the toss at the Wankhede Stadium, Indian skipper Hardik Pandya elected to bat first. Batting first, the Indian middle-order displayed a resilient performance to put up a decent 162/5 run total in the first innings of 20 overs.

India was off to a sluggish start after ace batsmen Shubhman Gill (7), Suryakumar Yadav (7), and Sanju Samson (5) lost their wickets in quick succession. As a result, the hosts were struggling at 46/3. Frontline batsman Ishan Kishan (37) and Hardik Pandya (29) came to the rescue and provided a sigh of relief.

In the end, it was the stunning unbeaten and match-winning partnership between Deepak Hooda (41) and Axar Patel (31) who added 68 runs for the sixth wicket. Backed on their thumping knocks, India managed to edge past the 160-run mark.

For Sri Lanka, de Silva (⅙), Hasaranga (1/22), Karunaratne (1/22), Theekshana (1/29), and Madushanka (1/35) chipped in a wicket apiece.

IND vs SL 1st T20I: Shanaka’s match-saving efforts went in vain 

Chasing a modest target of 163 runs, Sri Lanka was off to a disappointing start and kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. The frontline batting attack failed to capitalize on their innings and as a result, Sri Lanka was bundled out for a mere total of 160 and lost the match by a mere two runs.

Skipper Dasun Shanaka (45) played a standalone vital knock but his efforts went in vain as no batsman stood strong at the other end. Mendis (28), Hasaranga (21), and Karunaratne (23) played some other noteworthy knocks.

For India, debutant Shivam Mavi was the game-changer and starred in the bowling attack with splendid figures of 4/22. Umran Malik (2/27) and Harshal Patel (2/41) grabbed a couple of wickets apiece.