New Delhi: India completed a whitewash against Sri Lanka after winning the third and final T20I by five wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sri Lankan hopes to end the miserable tour on a high were raised when India struggled in a 136-run chase but eventually, the hosts crossed the finish line with four balls to spare.
Sri Lanka will go home with just one ODI win from this tour while India would head to South Africa with convincing victories in all three formats. Supremely confident Indian bowlers came out firing with Jaydev Unadkat being outstanding today even as the Lankans appeared to be in a dilemma as if to attack or stay patient.
India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: India Beat Sri Lanka by Five Wickets to Complete Series Whitewash
As Sri Lanka’s tour of India comes to an end, here is a look at the stats from the final T20I:
# India’s winning margin of 3-0 is their biggest series victory vs Sri Lanka in T20 Internationals. For the second time, they have won all three matches in a bilateral series — the first instance being against Australia in Australia in January 2016.
# India have won ten and lost four matches out of 14 played against Sri Lanka in T20Is — winning % 71.42.
# India, for the first time, have won seven successive matches against Sri Lanka between February 12, 2016 and December 24, 2017. This is their joint-best winning sequence against an opponent. They had defeated Australia in seven consecutive matches between October 10, 2013 and October 7, 2017.
# In all three formats this year — Tests, ODIs and T20Is, India have won 37 matches and lost 12 out of 53 contested. The remaining four could not produce results — the win/loss ratio being 3.083. This is their best performance in terms of wins in a calendar year.
# Only one team had more wins in a calendar year in international cricket — 38 out of 47 contested by Australia in 2003 (8 lost and drawn 1).
# Between April 6, 2017 and December 24, 2017, Sri Lanka have lost eight consecutive matches, obliterating the seven matches lost by them between March 20, 2016 and January 20, 2017.
India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: We Would Have Chased Down Any Target, Says Rohit Sharma
# Sri Lanka became the first team to have lost 40 matches (out of 57 contested) in a calendar year in international cricket. They won 14 while the remaining three could not produce results.
# Rohit Sharma had posted 65 sixes in 33 innings in international cricket this year — the highest tally registered by a batsman in a calendar year. South Africa’s Abraham de Villiers had recorded 63 sixes in 34 innings in 2015.
# Rohit’s tally of 13 sixes is the highest by any batsman in T20Is involving India and Sri Lanka.
# Rohit has managed 162 runs at an average of 54.00 in the series — the most runs by an Indian player in a bilateral series in India against a team.
# Rohit’s aforesaid aggregate is the second highest by an Indian batsman in a bilateral series behind the 199 (ave. 199.00) in three matches by Virat Kohli vs Australia in Australia in 2015-16.
# Jaydev Unadkat (2/15) has recorded his best bowling figures in T20Is.
# Jaydev Unadkat has received his first Man of the Match award in T20Is. Also, he got his first Player of the series award in T20Is.
# Washington Sundar (18 years and 80 days) became the youngest Indian to make debut in T20Is, surpassing Rishabh Pant’s record (19 years 120 days).
(With PTI inputs)