Sri Lanka vs India, 4th T20I, Nidahas Trophy 2018: 5 Talking Points 

#3 Sri Lanka waste a good start after Kusal Mendis’ fifty

Kusal Mendis has been in prime form

One thing that has been working for Sri Lanka in this Nidahas Trophy is the good start that they have been getting in the powerplays. Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Perera (who has batted at No. 3) have ensured that the hosts get off to a blistering start and maximize the powerplay.

Even in today’s game, Sri Lanka managed to score 53 runs in the powerplay. Even though they lost a couple of wickets, they were in a good position with Mendis and Tharanga going well.

The duo added 62 runs in 45 balls to give Sri Lanka a good platform for a big score. But Tharanga’s dismissal completely derailed the innings. They lost wickets at regular intervals as the Indian bowlers pulled things back after the hosts got off to a good start. Shardul Thakur picked up 4/27 as he restricted the run-flow.

Kusal Mendis though continued his good run. He has been one of the most consistent Sri Lankan batsmen this year. He has scored 246 runs in 5 T20Is in 2018 and has scored 4 fifties as well. His strike-rate is 172.

In this game, he started off with a bang. He struck a superb six off Unadkat on the first delivery he faced. Even after he lost a couple of partners, he didn’t get bogged down and continued scoring at a good rate and gave Sri Lanka a very good start. But the hosts didn’t capitalize on that start as they were kept down to 152/9 in their 19 overs.