2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 3rd T20I against Sri Lanka

A stunning innings from Suryakumar Yadav led Team India to a massive 91-run win in the third T20I against Sri Lanka in Rajkot on Saturday, January 7. With the victory, the Men in Blue sealed the three-match series by a 2-1 margin.

Batting first, India put a massive 228/5 on the board. Suryakumar, with his third T20I ton, was the star of the show for the hosts. Sri Lanka managed only 137 in response and were never really in the game.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke by India in the third T20I against Sri Lanka.

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#3 Mistake - Shubman Gill's painfully slow start

Shubman Gill was on the back of two single-digit scores to start his T20I career, so it was perhaps understandable that he wanted to take some time to get his eye in in the third T20I. But just how slowly he started could've severely crippled Team India.

Gill was scoreless off his first nine balls and needed two looseners from Dilshan Madushanka to get going. Playing a few dots at the start is acceptable, but nine in a row was simply inexcusable from the young opener. More so when you consider the fact that he played no attacking shots in those nine balls, with two leaves, one beaten and six defensive shots.

Gill has a few things to work on in T20 cricket. His ceiling is immense, but his 127.77 SR knock on a batting beauty would've been heavily criticized if not for...

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#2 Masterstroke - SKY and Tripathi's intent from one end

Like Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi hadn't made a great start to his T20I career. He managed only five runs on debut, and playing the last game of the series, he was under pressure to make an impression. The batter did just that.

Tripathi was a touch rusty at the start but soon recovered to hammer 35 off just 16 balls, a knock consisting of five fours and two sixes. His intent ensured that India ended the powerplay at 53/2, making the most of the field restrictions despite Ishan Kishan's early wicket and Gill's sedate start at the other end.

Once Tripathi was dismissed, Suryakumar Yadav took over. He accessed all areas of the ground, striking seven fours and nine sixes in his stellar century. SKY's mastery over the middle-overs phase was on full display, and India's decision to move him to No. 4 to accommodate Tripathi at 3 must be appreciated.

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#1 Mistake - India's usage of bowlers

With 228 on the board, India had a lot of leeway. And after Sri Lanka were reduced to 44/2 in the last over of the powerplay, the hosts had practically already sealed the game barring a miracle. But instead of giving his bowlers a fair share of the remaining overs, captain Hardik Pandya decided to take matters into his own hands.

Hardik bowled the seventh over, in which he bounced out Avishka Fernando. He returned to complete his quota in the 15th over, trapping Chamika Karunaratne in front. While the skipper's performance was perfectly ideal, he should've had an eye on his workload with a three-match ODI series on the horizon.

Moreover, Shivam Mavi, playing only his third T20I, bowled just one over before being taken out of the attack. Hardik has spoken about putting his players in challenging situations, and with Sri Lanka on the charge, Mavi could've gained some valuable lessons.

There was no real reason for Hardik, the sixth bowler, to bowl out in Rajkot. He could've used his bowlers better and given them some more chances in the middle.