Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer scored sparkling half centuries as India defeated Sri Lanka by 62 runs in the first T20I in Lucknow on Thursday.
After being asked to bat first by Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka, Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Kishan got their side off to a fantastic start. The duo added 111 runs for the opening stand before Rohit (44) was bowled by Lahiru Kumara from the one that kept low.
The 23 year old Kishan fell 11 run short of a well deserved hundred, miscuing a pull from Shanaka. Shreyas Iyer scored a breezy 28 ball-57 to take India to a mammoth score of 199/2 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing 200, Bhuvneshwar Kumar got the hosts off to a brilliant start by sending Pathum Nissanka (0) and Kamil Mishra to reduce Sri Lanka to 15/2.
Venkatesh Iyer then got into the act by dismissing Janith Liyanage (11) with a short off-cutter.
The visitors lost half their side for 60, when skipper Dasun Shanaka (3) top-edged a reverse sweep off Yuzvendra Chahal to Kumar at backward point. With that wicket, Chahal (67) went past Jasprit Bumrah (66) to become India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is.
Chamika Karunaratne along with Charith Asalanka added 37 runs for the sixth wicket before the former edged a full delivery from Venkatesh behind the stumps for 21.
Asalanka in the end remained unbeaten on 53 as Sri Lanka reached 137/6 in 20 overs, losing the contest by 62 runs.
For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Venkatesh Iyer claimed 2 wickets each.