IND vs SL 2022-23, 1st T20I: Hooda and Mavi on target as India barely draws first blood; netizens roar
IND vs SL 2022-23: India gave Sri Lanka a hard time in the opening Mumbai T20I on Tuesday, winning by a couple of runs. While Deepak Hooda and Shivam Mavi were on target, netizens were vocal about it.
FollowIt turned out to be a gripping contest between India and Sri Lanka in the opening Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday. After a final-ball thriller, the hosts came out on top, barely escaping with success by just a couple of runs. While Deepak Hooda was the star with the bat, with Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel contributing, debutant pacer Shivam Mavi impressed in his maiden T20I outing, grabbing a fifer. In the meantime, following the triumph, the netizens roared and were engraved by Mavi's exotic display on debut.
Winning the toss, Sri Lanka opted to field, while India handed the debut cap to Subman Gill and Mavi. The hosts were off to a disturbing start, losing a couple for 38 by the sixth over of the PowerPlay (PP), and were 46/3 by the seventh. While Kishan (37) and Hardik Pandya (29) put on a 31-run stand for the fourth wicket, the former was dismissed by leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in the 11th.
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As Pandya was the fifth wicket to fall in the 15th to pacer Dilshan Madushanka at 94, Hooda (41*) and Axar (31*) took charge of the remainder of the innings, playing and hitting their shots at will, contributing to a 68-run partnership for the sixth wicket, with India finishing at 162/5.
It was a consolidated bowling effort for the Lankans, with five bowling claiming a wicket each, while Hasaranga was the most economical. In reply, they began on a troubling note, too, losing a couple for 24 by the fourth over of the PP, thanks to pacer Mavi. Some 20-odd-run partnerships occurred between the incoming batters, but the tumbling wickets did not allow them to build a solid stand.
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Although the visitors still managed to put on a fight, putting the opponent on its toes, with 13 needed off the final over, the pressures still turned out to be too much, especially with leg-spinner Axar bowling, who managed to restrict them a couple of runs short. For the Men in Blue, Mavi shone outright, scalping four wickets, while fellow pacer Pandya was heavily economical.
Brief scores: IND 162/5 (Kishan- 37, Hooda- 41*, Axar- 31; de Silva- 1/6) defeated SL 160 (Shanaka- 45; Mavi- 4/22) by two runs.
