India beat Sri Lanka by 91 runs, clinch series 2-1
Rajkot, Jan 7: Suryakumar Yadav displayed his unmatched superiority yet again in the shortest format with a scintillating hundred as India outplayed Sri Lanka by 91 runs in the third T20I to secure a memorable series win here on Saturday.
Surya struck a sensational 112 not out off 51 balls for his third T20I century and fired India to an imposing 228 for five, making the job easier for his bowlers.
He toyed with the Sri Lankan bowlers throughout, hitting fours and maximums at will and in his trademark manner all across the ground to notch his third century in the format.
The Indian bowlers then dominated as they skittled Sri Lanka for 137 to claim the series 2-1.
While the first two matches were neck and neck, India dominated the proceeding with both ball and bat in the decider, which is bound to boost the youngsters' morale.
Chasing the stiff target, Pathum Nissanka (15) survived a first-ball appeal as he chose to review a leg before call off a Hardik Pandya delivery.
The two openers looked up for the challenge as they shared a brisk 44-run stand. While Nissanka hit Arshdeep Singh (3/20) for a couple of fours in the second over, he slammed consecutive sixes off Pandya in the next over.
With the pacers going for runs, Pandya introduced spin in the form of Axar Patel (1/19) and the left-arm spinner took the wicket of Kusal Mendis (23).
Arshdeep Singh then dismissed Nissanka in the next over while Pandya got Avishka Fernando (1).
The wily Yuzuvendra Chahal (2/30) was the next bowler to claim a wicket in the form of Charith Asalanka (19) courtesy Shivam Mavi, who ran to his left from deep cover to complete an excellent catch.
The ever-increasing required run rate troubled the visitors as they started finding Indian fielders and giving away their wickets.
Umran Malik (2/31) impressed with his raw pace again but India's affair with extras continued as the bowlers bowled a no ball and 11 wides, including four by Arshdeep.
Earlier, after completing his fifty in 26 balls, Surya took only 19 deliveries to reach the 100-run mark. He ended the innings in style, hitting a six and a four off Chamika Karunaratne (1/52) in the last over.
Shubman Gill (46), who failed to go beyond single digit scores in the previous two matches, was cautious as he opened his account after playing nine dots with a six, followed by a four off Dilshan Madushanka (2/55) in the third over.
Rahul Triptahi played a 16-ball 35-run knock after Ishan Kishan (1) was sent back in the first over.
As soon as spin was introduced, Tripathi targeted Mahesh Theekshana (0/48) as he collected three fours from the fifth over. He scooped the first one over square leg, played the second to point and hit the third over mid-off.
Tripathi assumed the role of the aggressor as he pummelled Karunaratne (1/52) for twin sixes before perishing off a short ball, caught at short third.
India collected 53 for the loss of two wickets in the powerplay and while Gill continued to score at a slow pace, Surya was at his effortless best.
The world's number one batter in the format looked like a man from another planet. He reached his half century by sending the ball to the boundary.
With Surya firing, Gill tried to up the ante at the other end as well. He hit Wanindu Hasaranga (1/36) for a six but as the batter moved down the wicket to dispatch the ball for another boundary, a leg-break got the better of him to put an end to a 111-run partnership.
Gill's wicket saw a change in momentum as India lost skipper Hardik Pandya (4) and all-rounder Deepak Hooda (4) in quick succession.
Meanwhile, it was business as usual for Surya as he repeatedly timed the ball to perfection. He hit nine sixes and seven fours in his blazing knock.
Towards the end, he found an able ally in Axar Patel (21 not out) as the duo took India over the 220-run mark.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
