Images from the first T20 International between India and Sri Lanka, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on Tuesday.
Shivam Mavi made a dream debut with a relentless display of fast bowling. His four-wicket haul was the difference in India's two-run victory over a spirited Sri Lanka in the first T20 International, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on Tuesday.
After electing to field, Sri Lanka’s bowlers had India in a spot of bother before Deepak Hooda (41 not out off 23 balls) and Axar Patel (31 not out off 20) guided the hosts to a fighting total of 162 for 4 wickets.
Mavi then struck at start and death overs of the Lankan innings to tilt the game India’s way.
The game went down to the wire, but spinner Axar Patel did well to defend 13 runs in the final over.
Mavi ended up with envious figures of 4 for 22 in four overs.
Fighting knocks from skipper Dasun Shanaka (45 off 27 balls) and Chamika Karunaratne (23 not out off 16) went in vain as Sri Lanka were all out for 160 in 20 overs.
The total was the lowest India defended at the venue.
Skipper Hardik Pandya decided to bowl the first over and the pressure created by him helped debutant Mavi at the other end. Hardik bowled full tilt and hardly gave anything away, conceding only 12 runs in his three-over spell.
Mavi's moment to cherish came in his first over as he showed remarkable composure to strike back after being hit for two fours by Kusal Mendis.
Having already got a life in Hardik's first over, Pathum Nissanka had no clue about Mavi's beauty of a delivery that jagged back in to shatter the stumps.
In his second over too, Mavi was hit for a couple of fours before he had Dhanajaya de Silva caught at mid-on.
The scoreboard read 47 for 3 in eighth over after Ishan Kishan took a brilliant catch, running backwards, when Charith Asalanka mistimed a pull off Umran Malik.
Pacer Harshal Patel got lucky with his first wicket as a dangerous-looking Mendis found the deep point fielder before getting rid of Bhanuka Rajapaksa with a slower delivery, leaving Sri Lanka struggling at 68 for 5 in the 11th over.
Hardik then left the field briefly after taking Rajapaksa's catch.
Hasaranga and skipper Shanaka made the game interesting with a quickfire 40-run stand off 23 balls.
Hasaranga put the pressure back on the Indians by smashing Yuzvendra Chahal for back-to-back sixes over mid-wicket, reducing the equation to a very gettable 56 runs off 36 balls.
Mavi was brought back to break the threatening partnership and that is what he did by having Hasaranga caught at mid-off.
Shanaka kept Sri Lanka in the game singlehandedly before falling to Umran in the 17th over.
The game somehow went down to the last over with Chamika Karunratne providing a ray of hope for the visitors.
With Hardik unable to bowl his fourth over after a fall on the field, Axar was called in to defend 13 in the final over.
Earlier, India’s batters found the going tough against Sri Lanka’s spinners before Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel guided the hosts to 162 for 5.
Hooda (41 not out off 23 balls) and Axar (31 not out off 20) shared an unbeaten 68-run stand off 38 balls for the sixth wicket after India found themselves at a shaky 94 for 5.
Playing his first international innings since the double hundred in Bangladesh, Ishan Kishan (37 off 29) went ballistic in the first over itself that yielded 17 runs.
Searching for some swing, right-arm pacer Kasun Rajitha pitched it up and Kishan was quick to flick it over deep square leg for a massive six.
Then, a slower ball was hit down the ground for four before Kishan pulled Rajitha for another boundary.
Shubman Gill (7), who made his T20 debut on Tuesday alongside Shivam Mavi, began his innings with a delightful cover driver off Dilshan Madhushanka.
Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka introduced spin in the third over via Maheesh Theekshana and he delivered with the wicket of Gill, who missed a straighter one from the mystery spinner and was trapped in front of the stumps.
Hoping against hope, Gill wasted a review in the process.
India's best T20 batter Suryakumar Yadav (7) too perished cheaply, leaving the team in a spot at 41 for 2 in the powerplay.
Playing his first game in front of his home crowd, Surya went for his usual scoop shot but mistimed it and was caught at short fine leg by Bhanuka Rajapaksa off Chamika Karunaratne.
Sanum Samson (5) wasted another opportunity, mistiming a slog off Dhananjaya de Silva.
The spinners stemmed the flow of runs in the middle overs as India collected only 26 in overs 10-15, with the loss of Kishan and skipper Hardik Pandya (29 off 27), who could not find his range after starting with a couple of exquisite stokes on the off side.
Coming in at No. 6, Hooda tried to change the course of the innings with back-to- back sixes over deep midwicket off Theekshana. He targeted the same area against Hasaranga in the next over, depositing him for a maximum.
He received good support from Axar as the duo helped India post a decent total.
