It was a forgetful match for the Indian side after the host clinched the victory in the 2nd T20I. There was no other option left for India following the isolation of 9 players. All the remaining 11 players were selected for the playing 11. The side only featured five batsmen: Dhawan, Gaikwad, Padikkal, Sanju Samson, and Nitish Rana. The rest of the six players were from the bowling department.
All of these incidents happened after Krunal Pandya tested positive for the Corona Virus. The players who were in close contact with him were isolated as early as possible. Few big names like Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Prithvi Shaw, and Suryakumar Yadav felt out of the game because of this.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka decided to bowl first, which turned out to be a profitable decision. The India side managed to post 132 runs on the board, with Dhawan emerging as the highest run-scorer.
Even though it was a low-scoring match, Indian pacers gave a tough fight as Sri Lanka went on to win the game with only two balls left. Dhananjaya De Silva’s match-winning knock of 40 runs turned the game in their favor. Kuldeep Yadav was the star performer with the ball as he bagged two wickets.
Even though India lost the match, Rahul Dravid was the man who was constantly on his feet. The game was in the neutral stage with only two overs left. The hosts needed 20 runs off the last two overs, but then the rain arrived. The rain only lasted for few moments, but even in that, Rahul Dravid played his part.
The chit from Rahul Dravid had the DLS score mentioned in it
He immediately sent the 12th man with a paper in his hand after the game resumed. The paper contained the DLS scorecard if that method came into play. If the match wasn’t resumed, India might have won the series as the hosts were three runs short of the DLS score at the end of the 18th over.
