Images from the first Twenty20 International between India and Sri Lanka, in Lucknow, on Thursday.
Opener Ishan Kishan scored a sizzling 56-ball 89 and Shreyas Iyer blazed his way to a whirlwind, unbeaten 57 as India trounced Sri Lanka by 62 runs in the first T20 International of the three-match series, in Lucknow, on Thursday.
Batting first, the IPL's costliest buy Kishan plundered a career-best 56-ball-89 while Iyer helped himself to an unbeaten 57 off 28 balls as India put up an imposing 199 for 2.
In reply, the Sri Lankans could only score 137 for 6.
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the home bowlers, finishing with two wickets for 9 runs from two overs, while Venkatesh Iyer (2 for 36) and Yuzvendra Chahal (1 for 11 in 3 overs) bowled excellent spells to restrict the visitors.
Earlier, left-handed Kishan, who failed to capitalise on his starts in the preceding white-ball series against West Indies, finally lived up to his multi-million dollar IPL tag with a whirlwind knock that was studded with 10 hits to the fence and three sixes.
The 23-year-old from Jharkhand forged a 111-run stand for the opening wicket with skipper Rohit Sharma (44 off 32 balls) to put India on course for a formidable total after being invited to bat first.
Iyer then grabbed the opportunity with both hands, smashing five fours and two sixes off 28 balls to propel the hosts to a huge total.
Ishan Kishan was the aggressor of the two openers as he exploded in the third over, making Chamika Karunaratne pay for erring in his line and length with three boundaries as India amassed 15 runs from the over.
Lahiru Kumara bowled with a lot of pace but Ishan came up with two good-looking shots -- one a pull on the front foot which went over the ropes and the other a flick across the mid-wicket boundary.
Left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama was next hammered for a four, while a short ball from Chameera was deposited into the stands as Kishan continued his demolition act which yielded 58 runs in the powerplay.
Sri Lanka were also guilty of dropping Ishan, spinner Jeffrey Vandersay spilling him off his own bowling in the seventh over.
The left-hander soon went on to register his second T20 fifty as India amassed 98 off 10 overs.
Playing second fiddle, skipper Rohit ran the ones and twos hard and picked up two fours along the way with a cracking slog-sweep over mid-wicket for a six.
Six runs short of a half-century, Rohit was done in by a slow delivery from Lahiru Kumara in the 12th over as as Sri Lanka tried to apply breaks.
Ishan got another reprieve when he edged one from Vandersay and the ball made its way to the boundary.
After two tight overs, Kishan slapped one over long-on for a maximum and then sent Lahiru Kumara across the third man and deep mid-wicket boundaries as India racked up 17 runs.
Sri Lanka's agony was escalated by their pedestrian bowling in the death overs as Iyer took them to the cleaners, the last three overs yielding 44 runs.
Thursday’s victory extended India's longest winning run in T20Is to 10 matches.
For Sri Lanka, Charith Asalanka regained some confidence with an unbeaten 47-ball 53, but he hardly received support from the other batters.
Defending the total, Bhuvneshwar provided India the perfect start, cleaning up in-form opener Pathum Nissanka (0) off the first delivery of the innings.
He then returned to remove Kamil Mishara (13), the other opener, cheaply.
India's fielding was not up to the mark, as Ventakesh Iyer and Shreyas spilled chances off Kamila and Charith Asalanka in third and sixth overs respectively. But that did not matter as the Lankan batters were unable to make the most of those chances.
Ventakesh got rid of Janith Liyanage (11), while comeback man Ravindra Jadeja had Dinesh Chandimal (10) stumped in the 10th over as Sri Lanka were reduced to 51 for 4 in 10th over.
Skipper Dasun Shanaka's (3) stay lasted six balls as Chahal overtook Bumrah to become India's leading wicket-taker (67) in T20Is.
With the required run-rate hovering over 20, Asalanka, who was unbeaten with 53 off 47 ball, whihch included 5 four, provided some respectability to the chase, but the asking rate was too much after Sri Lanka lost momentum early on.
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