Riding on KL Rahul‘s second T20I fifty and some handy knocks from other middle-order batsmen, India scored 180 for three the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Cuttack.
Sent in to bat first, the hosts were off to a decent start with skipper Rohit Sharma and Rahul adding 38 runs before the latter miscued a shot off the bowling of Angelo Mathews straight to mid-on. The duo had begun the proceedings on a good note, hitting ten runs off the very first over before hitting a handful of boundaries to settle down. However, just when it looked the duo was set for a big stand, Rohit fell for 17.
Rohit’s departure brought on the crease the in-form Shreyas Iyer. The right-handed batsman was fresh off two fifty-plus knocks in the ODI series and looked in fine touch right from the outset. Rahul, on the other end, was looking more dangerous as he scored a flurry of boundaries to compile his fifty off 34 balls.
With Rahul looking in fine touch, Iyer looked more than happy to play second fiddle, but before the Mumbai star could unleash his big shots, Nuwan Pradeep dismissed him for 24 to bring an end to the 63-run stand. And just when Rahul was looking to accelerate, he was castled by Thisara Perera for 61. At the end of the 15th over, the scoreboard was reading a modest 114 for 3. Sri Lankan bowlers kept things tight in the slog overs, not allowing Dhoni and Manish Pandey to play freely. However, the duo gave the innings the much-needed impetus by scoring 21 runs in the 19th over and 12 in the last over to guide India to a challenging total.
Here is how Twitter reacted to the innings:
"Dhoni finishes it off in style"! Last 5 overs 66 runs. India have a competitive score. Sri Lanka will rue the extra 15 they have conceded
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 20, 2017
Dhoni looking like vintage, Pandey doing a Pandya, and India have a score they'll fancy defending…
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) December 20, 2017
Dhoni and Pandey have grabbed the initiative from Lanka in style!
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) December 20, 2017
MS Dhoni and last ball sixes.
Still a better love story.
— Nikhil ? (@CricCrazyNIKS) December 20, 2017
They've come to see Dhoni. If he scores fast, that's a bonus.#INDvSL
— Gaurav Sethi (@BoredCricket) December 20, 2017
Sri Lanka has some big strikers. India need 170+. Fine half century by Rahul, but threw wicket away when well set
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) December 20, 2017
What purpose does Dinesh Karthik serve in the team, if he is not sent in to bat @ 4 or 5? With a limited pinch-hitting prowess, what is he expected to do lower down the order in a T20? #INDvSL @bhogleharsha
— Dr. Abishek Kaul ?? (@Sup_ER_Doc) December 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/1rupaiyya/status/943491643511943168?
https://twitter.com/Cric_Lama/status/943487580099657730?
KL Rahul-50
Virat Kohli- 100
Rohit Sharma- 200#RabNeBanaDiJodi
— Sunil The Cricketer (@1sInto2s) December 20, 2017
In getting to his fifty, Rahul played defensive shots to 50% of the deliveries he faced.
Corresponding global average for openers in T20Is is 33%.#INDvSL
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) December 20, 2017
This #INDvsSL series feels like the Canadian winters. It is never ending.
— Rashi (@rashi_kakkar) December 20, 2017
Without doubt, loudest cheer for Indian player these days is when @msdhoni walks out to bat. Anywhere
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) December 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/Hitmanism_/status/943484003373350914?
https://twitter.com/INDCricNews/status/943483576968011776?
" Thisara Parera jahan bhi dikhe, maar do " ~ Team India's Moto#INDvSL
— Sunil The Cricketer (@1sInto2s) December 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/imkhanak08/status/943483596953698304?
When Sri Lankan National Anthem started……you can have your dinner and come back.#INDvSL
— Adarsh Tiwari (@tiwariadarsh004) December 20, 2017
