Suresh Raina Lauds Team India For 'Spinning Their Way To Victory' In First T20I
Suresh Raina applauded Rohit Sharma & Co. as team India continued their form in the first T20I to thrash Sri Lanka by 93 runs on Wednesday to fire India to their biggest win in the shortest format of the game.
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Sent in to bat first, India rode on KL Rahul’s fifty and quickfire knocks from Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni to post a commanding 189 for 3 in Cuttack. The Men in Blue did not have the best of starts with the bat as their in-form skipper Rohit Sharma was sent back for just 17. Rahul and Shreyas Iyer then steadied the ship with a 63-run stand but failed to accelerate. As a result, the scoreboard was reading a modest 114 for three by the end of the 15th over. However, Pandey and Dhoni played a flurry of big shots in the last five overs, collecting 66 runs from them to help India post a big total. Rahul top-scored for the hosts with 61 while Dhoni scored 39 off 22 and Pandey 32 off 18.
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The score turned out to be more than enough in the end as India bowled out Sri Lanka for just 87. The Islanders were looking well within the contest after racing away to 39 for 1 in the fifth over. However, their chase was completely derailed once Yuzvendra Chahal accounted for the in-form Upul Tharanga. The former Sri Lanka skipper’s dismissal opened the floodgates as the visitors kept on losing wickets at regular intervals before being folded up for a paltry 87. Chahal starred with the ball for the hosts, picking up 4 for 23 and was well supported by Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav who bagged 3 and two wickets respectively.
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Following the convincing performance of the Men in Blue, out-of-favour batsman Suresh Raina took to Twitter to congratulate the team and praise the impressive performers.
“Spinning their way to victory. Superb work by @msdhoni, @klrahul11, @im_manishpandey, @yuzi_chahal and @imkuldeep18 to take India to a great victory. Keep it coming boys,” he wrote.
Spinning their way to victory. Superb work by @<!---->m<!---->s<!---->d<!---->h<!---->o<!---->n<!---->i, @klrahul11, @<!---->i<!---->m<!---->_<!---->m<!---->a<!---->n<!---->i<!---->s<!---->h<!---->p<!---->a<!---->n<!---->d<!---->e<!---->y, @<!---->y<!---->u<!---->z<!---->i<!---->_<!---->c<!---->h<!---->a<!---->h<!---->a<!---->l and @<!---->i<!---->m<!---->k<!---->u<!---->l<!---->d<!---->e<!---->e<!---->p<!---->1<!---->8 to take India to a great victory. Keep it coming boys.
— Suresh Raina?? (@ImRaina) D<!---->e<!---->c<!---->e<!---->m<!---->b<!---->e<!---->r<!----> <!---->2<!---->1<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->1<!---->7
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