Team India brutally thrashed the visitors by 93 runs to register the biggest T20I win in the first T20I and take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. KL Rahul scored 61 at the top, it was MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey’s blitzkrieg in the end which saw them adding 61 runs in last four fours.
Coming at number four, India were 101/2 in 12.4 fours as Dhoni took a bit of time before launching Sri Lankan bowlers for four fours and one six in his unbeaten innings of 39 off 22. MS Dhoni played a gem of an innings and hit four fours and a six.
The duo of MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey batted stupendously in the end as India finished with a total of 180/3. The wrist spinners then stepped up as Sri Lanka were bundled for 87 runs. Skipper Rohit Sharma was elated with the team’s splendid all-around performance.
It was the first T20I game for Rohit Sharma as the captain and team India won it. At the presentation ceremony, he spoke about the decision to bat Dhoni at No.4 as well as the impact created by the wrist spinners.
Praising the finish provided by Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni, Rohit said that both of them didn’t get to bat as much as they would have wanted in the ODIs. Talking about Dhoni, in particular, the Indian skipper lauded him for having won so many games and thought that he was an ideal choice for the No.4 position.
“Great finish to the batting innings by MS and Manish, who hasn’t got much batting time. We can’t talk much about MSD. He didn’t get much batting in the ODIs but class is permanent. He is someone who’s played and won so many games, so moving forward, in this format, we feel him batting at No.4 will be ideal,” Rohit said.
Further, he spoke about how Dhoni had donned the finishing role for a long time. It was high time someone else stepped up and allowed him to play with more freedom in the middle order. “For a long time, MS has taken up the role of finishing and we feel it’s time for someone else to do the job. MS can play freely in the middle. 180 was a great effort by the batting unit,” he added.
Not forgetting, the young captain was full praise for the spin twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. “Those two guys have always been a wicket-taking option in the middle. It’s important to understand what the team expects them and they’ve delivered. They don’t fail to impress us,” Rohit said.