In the first of the three-match T20I series between the touring Indian side and host Sri Lanka, the visitors after being asked to bat first at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the opening partnership of the blue brigade between Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave them a great platform with 74-runs in the powerplay.
The very first ball of the game was nailed on its way for a boundary from the left-handed opening batter, who finished with 40 runs in 21 balls, shouldered with five boundaries and a couple of sixes, while on the other hand, his opening partner Shubman Gill fired up 34 runs in 16 balls at a strike rate of over 200, decorated with six boundaries and one over boundary.
India raced away to 213/7 in their 20 overs, thanks to a 58-run contribution from the new T20I captain of the side- Suryakumar Yadav, who cracked eight boundaries and a couple of sixes to reach the mark.
‘It seemed as if an IPL match’- Basit Ali praises Shubman Gill
Under the new head coach- Gautam Gambhir, India showed aggression from the start in the powerplay. Under his mentorship during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, the Kolkata Knight Riders team, their opening stand of Sunil Narine and Phil Salt too batted in the same rhythm.
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The former Pakistan player Basit Ali compared both the first wicket stands and felt quite excited to see the blue brigade going with a combination of right and left-handed batters at the start. In his latest YouTube video, he praised both Shubman Gill and Jaiswal’s aggressive batting.
‘From India’s opening partnership, it was apparent that KKR’s approach was implemented here. The Indian batters implemented the approach used by Sunil Narine and Philip Salt.’ The former middle-order batter of the national side expressed.
One of the biggest concerns for India going into the T20 World Cup 2024 was how the Punjab batter batted, and once he showed the aggressive nature of his batting, besides having the extra responsibility of vice-captaincy, the whole management felt relieved.
Highlighting how Jaiswal and Shubman Gill propelled India to such a strong position at the beginning of the game, Ali added that for a moment it felt as if an IPL game was taking place.
‘The openers set the tone with their 74-run partnership. It was very difficult for Sri Lanka to bounce back after that. India hit seven sixes and 27 fours.’ The Karachi-born remarked on his YouTube video. ‘It seemed as if an IPL match was going on. I was quite pleased to see India use a left-right combination.’
Sri Lanka started quite brilliantly too, thanks to their 84-run stand, where Pathum Nissanka was smashing the ball in almost every corner of the park to end with a 79-run knock in 48 balls. Kushal Mendis batted fabulously from the other end too, but once the former was dismissed, the host couldn’t stand in the chase.
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Riyan Parag was given the job of bowling the 17th and 20th over of the second innings, where he ended up with three wickets at such a crucial juncture of the contest.
‘Riyan Parag was given his first over at a very dangerous time because the over-rate was slow. If the Sri Lankan batters had attacked him then, it would have shaken his confidence. Like me, Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir also like Riyan Parag very much.’ The veteran observed.
The final game of the series will be played on July 30, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
