Pune: Over the last few years, an Indian captain finishing a run-chase with a six has time and again reflected the collective mood of the team. Such was the mood with which the Indian team landed in Pune for the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka at the MCA Stadium in Gahunje on Friday, after a convincing all-round performance in Indore to take the lead in the series, with captain Virat Kohli sealing the deal with a towering six over long leg.
On a flat deck that was expecting loads of runs to be scored, the Indian bowlers led by the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini and Shardul Thakur wreaked havoc to restrict the Lankans to just 142, before the home side chased the target down with 15 balls to spare. A breezy start by in-form KL Rahul laid the platform, before Kohli combined with Shreyas Iyer as the duo scored the last 40 runs off just 15 balls to secure the win, leaving the visiting coach in awe of the quality possessed by the Indians.
The two teams arrive in Pune with quite contrasting mindsets.
Build up to World T20
While the hosts will look to continue their fine run and bag another series in the build up to the T20 World Cup later this year, the focus will be on finding more assurance with respect to those few places still up for grabs on the plane to Australia, and giving those players as much game time as possible before the showpiece events gets underway.
In the batting scheme of things, the battle between Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan for the second opener’s slot will again take centre-stage.
Dhawan scored a scratchy 32 in his first match since recovering from an injury, whereas Rahul looked fluent in his 32-ball 45.
It has been clear from the approach of the Indian top-order in recent time that they are looking to take the attack to the opposition, particularly in the powerplay overs.
With Dhawan’s strike rate faring much lesser than that of Rohit Sharma and Rahul over the last few series, it will be important for him to up the ante sooner than later, as the World Cup comes closer.
The experienced campaigner will very much be in the reckoning though and was seen batting in the nets in Pune for an extended period of time on Thursday, focusing also on his running between the wickets and gaining full fitness at the earliest.
While Shreyas Iyer is proving his credentials as a reliable no. 4 with every passing game, the much talked about Rishabh Pant will look to get in some good scores under his belt consistently with the flamboyant Sanju Samson itching to get in as well.
The Kohli-led side looked in good spirits with another series win in sight as they strode out for their practice session on Thursday at the MCA Stadium.
India are expected to stick with the pace-heavy bowling combination that tasted success in Indore, and with the Pune wicket expected to offer decent bounce and carry given the 7 pm start time in fairly chilly conditions, the likes of Bumrah and Saini could come in handy again.
Transition phase
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, would be looking for all the inspiration they can find to avoid a fifth straight loss in T20Is. Their only bright spots in the second T20I came in the form of Kusal Perera’s handy knock and a couple of wickets for the leggie Wanindu Hasaranga. To add to their woes, injuries continue to hamper them with pacer Isuru Udana ruled out of Friday’s game due to a back injury. Mathews did not find a place in the second T20I, but he is expected to take the field in Pune and chip in with both bat and ball.
Their last outing at this very venue against India is something they would be upbeat about, having bowled the hosts out for a paltry 101 as all-rounder Dasun Shanaka, now a crucial member of the T20 side, was the star on that day back in 2016.
India, though, will look to ride on the confidence from their results at the venue in the last couple of years.
Though it may not seem like one, the Pune game is still a series decider and poses a few interesting questions for both sides.
