Wanindu Hasaranga picked four wickets before Sri Lankan batsmen wrapped an easy win in the third and final T20I against India to clinch the three-match series 2-1 on Thursday.

Sri Lanka needed 82 runs to win against the depleted Indian side in the series decider and the hosts chase down the target comfortably inside 15 overs. Chasing 82, Sri Lanka got off to a decent start as Rahul Chahar removed opening batsman Avishka Fernando in the sixth over. It was a slow start from Sri Lanka but the hosts were far from any trouble as they only needed 82 runs to win.

Chahar did pick two more wickets as he dismissed Minod Bhanuka and Sadeera Samarawickrama but wasn’t able to stop Sri Lanka from chasing the target.

Earlier, Hasaranga celebrated his 24th birthday in style as he picked four wickets to restrict India to 81/8 Opting to bat first, India got off to bad start as the visitors lost skipper Shikhar Dhawan in the first over. A mix-up in the middle resulted in Devdutt Padikkal getting run out in the fifth over.

Sanju Samson’s wicket in the same over only dented India’s chances of having a decent total. Ruturaj Gaikwad (14), who was playing well, too departed in the fifth over.

India lost three wickets in the fifth over and Nitish Rana’s dismissal in the ninth over left the visitors reeling at 36/5 with no recognised batsman at the crease.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav then stitched a 19-run stand for the sixth wicket however, Hasaranga sent back the pacer in the 15th over.

After 15 overs, India score was 55/6 with Kuldeep and Rahul Chahar at the crease.

India kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were eight down for 63 before Kuldeep and Sakariya stitched an 18-run stand as visitors posted 81 in the allotted 20 overs.

Brief Scores: India 81/8 (Kuldeep Yadav 23*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 16; Wanindu Hasaranga 4-9); Sri Lanka 82/3 (Dhananjaya de Silva 23*, Minod Bhanuka 18; Rahul Chahar 3-15)

Although three Indian boxers are just one step away from getting medals in boxing and Amit Panghal and Simranjit Kaur are yet to compete, things have not happened as expected. This is not the time to criticise anyone but pray for the entire Indian contingent including these boxers.

Lovlina played very well. She used the whole ring well but she could have done better. Super heavyweight boxer Satish definitely won against Jamaican boxer but did not show much movement. In the super heavyweight category, I saw only Paramjit Samota and Satish fight bravely. They are the brave boxers of the country. Now his next bout is with the world champion boxer of Uzbekistan. I am sure his courage will definitely be visible in this important contest.

Actually, no competition is easy at this level. Pooja Rani also played well. However, there were some technical shortcomings in her game like body balance and then she did not show the experience for which she is known. She has won gold twice in the Asian Championship. The boxer she was brought up with did not have much experience. What to say about pugilist MC Mary Kom, she is a legend but it was shocking to know about her exit from Tokyo Olympics.

Two big contenders for our medals — Amit Panghal and Simranjit Kaur are yet to come. I have high hopes for both of them. Amit is a South Paw boxer and is known for his stellar performances. Simranjit Kaur, on the other hand, has a strong willpower, due to which she can make a big bang at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo. I will just go back and repeat my point that good footwork and body movement is very important in the sport of boxing. Hopefully in the next few days, I expect some good work from the Indian boxers.

Despite all this, I regret that from the Government of India, Sports Authority of India and all its schemes, the Prime Minister’s interaction with the players before the Olympics and the Sports Minister always being ahead – all these things can prove to be tonic for sports and sportspersons.  If the requisite medals do not come, there must be a review of Indian performance.

There is a similar review system in cricket, other sports need to learn from them. That’s why that game is called Gentleman’s Game. I sincerely wish for our team to have our coach, our own support staff. When we have all the resources, it is very important to have a review on this whole issue.

(The writer is a former Olympian and Arjuna Award winning boxer)

Six-time world champion Mary Kom was “shocked and upset” to learn about her Tokyo Olympics exit on Thursday. Mary Kom faced a shocking defeat—split decision—at the hands of Colombia’s Ingrit Valencia to bow out from the tournament. Valencia won bout 3-2.

However, Mary Kom thought she had won since the ace boxer had clinched two rounds after going down in the first essay. “I thought I have won but after some time I saw Kiren Rijiju’s tweet, I was shocked and upset at the same time (to know that I have lost the match),” Mary Kom told reporters two hours after the bout.

After Mary Kom’s defeat, Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister of Law and Justice, said the boxer was a clear winner but judges had their “own calculations”.

“Dear Mary Kom, you lost in Tokyo Olympics by just one point but for me you are always a champion! You have achieved what no other female boxer in the world has ever achieved. You are a legend. India is proud of you BOXING & OLYMPICS will miss you @MangteC,” Rijiju tweeted.

Mary Kom slammed the International Olympic Committee’s Boxing Task Force for “poor judging” in her Flyweight (51kg) pre-quarterfinal at the Tokyo Games which she lost despite winning two of the three rounds. The Task Force is conducting the boxing competition at the Tokyo Olympics after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) was suspended by the IOC for alleged mismanagement and financial wrongdoing. “I don’t know and understand this decision, what’s wrong with the Task Force? What’s wrong with the IOC?” she asked in a telephonic interview to PTI after the 2-3 loss to Colombian Ingrit Valencia in the pre-quarters in Tokyo. “I was also a member of the Task Force. I was even giving them suggestions and supporting them in ensuring a clean competition. But what have they done with me?” she said.

“I was happy inside the ring, when I came out, I was happy because in my mind I knew I had won. When they took me for doping, I was still happy. Only when I saw the social media and my coach (Chhote Lal Yadav repeated it to me), it sunk in that I have lost,” she said. “I had beaten this girl twice in the past. I couldn’t believe that her hand was raised by the referee. I swear, it hadn’t struck me that I lost, I was so sure,” she added.

“The worst part is that there is no review or protest. Honestly I am sure the world must have seen, this is too much what they have done,” she said. “I should have got the second round unanimously, how was it 3-2? What happened was totally unpredictable,” she reasoned.

The IOC’s Boxing Task Force had promised a more transparent judging system after amateur boxing’s credibility took a hit during the 2016 Rio Olympics judging fiasco which led to suspension of 36 officials.

Mary Kom is part of the BTF’s 10-member athletes ambassadors group.

Valencia advanced to the quarter-finals of the showpiece event after defeating Mary Kom in the women’s flyweight (48-51kg) category event.

Japan shuttler Kento Momota on Wednesday was knocked out of the ongoing Tokyo Olympics after the world number one failed to progress from Group A in the men’s singles event.

On Wednesday, Momota was defeated by South Korea’s Heo Kwang-hee. The South Korean defeated Momota 21-15, 21-19. Momota had won his first match of Group A against Timothy Lam 21-12, 21-19, but he failed to rise to the occasion in his next match, and as a result, he has bowed out of the ongoing Olympics in the men’s singles event.

Earlier on Wednesday, India shuttler Sai Praneeth lost his second Group D match against Mark Caljouw of the Netherlands in the Tokyo Olympics here at the Musashino Forest Plaza Court 3. Caljouw defeated Praneeth 21-14, 21-14 in straight games.

Star shuttler PV Sindhu defeated Hong Kong’s Ngan Yi Cheung in her second Group J match of the Tokyo Olympics here at the Musashino Forest Plaza Court 2 on Wednesday.

Sindhu defeated Ngan Yi Cheung in straight sets 21-9, 21-16 to cruise into the elimination round of women’s singles. Elsewhere on Tuesday, India men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy defeated Great Britain’s duo of Ben Lane and Sean Vendy in a crucial final Group A Play Stage game. The Indian duo defeated Lane and Vendy 21-17, 21-19 in their final group stage match.

India’s Rahi Sarnobat and Manu Bhaker will resume India’s shooting challenge at the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics, when they take the field in the first precision round of qualification in the Women’s 25M Pistol competition on Thursday at the Asaka Shooting range.

The precision round is slated to begin at 5.30 am IST. Rahi, fresh from an ISSF World Cup stage gold in Osijek, Croatia, leading up to the Games and Manu, will have to go through two days of qualification on Thursday and Friday before the top eight are separated after the second rapid-fire round. The 44-strong women’s Sport Pistol field on day six of the Olympic Shooting competition closely resembles the Air Pistol competition of day two and will have all the finalists of that event, barring the Chinese who have changed personnel.

India too has the experienced Rahi, also the reigning Asian Games champion, in place of Yashaswini Deswal who played the Air Pistol event, to accompany Manu.The 15-member squad has six starts to go and is still searching for its first shooting medal at the Games.

India archer Pravin Jadhav crashed out of the men’s individual event in Tokyo Olympics after losing to USA’s Brady Ellison at Yumenoshima Ranking Field on Wednesday. The 25-year-old suffered a 6-0 defeat in the Round of 16 match against Brady Ellison — also the current World Record holder.

World No.1 in men’s recurve category, Brady started the match with 9-10-9 in response to which Jadhav scored 9-8-10, which handed Ellison two easy points. In the second set, Ellison had a very bad start with an 8 but the Indian didn’t manage to benefit from that mistake of the American as he scored a poor 7 with the final arrow after he aimed 10 and 9 with the first two arrows.

The Indian women’s hockey team suffered a third successive defeat in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics as Great Britain won the encounter 4-1 here at the Oi Hockey Stadium — South Pitch on Wednesday.

Great Britain got off the blocks very quickly as Hannah Martin opened the scoring from the team’s first circle entry of the match inside just 75 seconds. The Indian team got better as the first quarter progressed to create few chances here and there, but GB’s defence assured their team went ahead without conceding a goal into the next fifteen minutes.

In the second quarter, Hannah Martin again prevailed for GB as she scored her second goal of the match. Indian goalkeeper saved the first shot but Martin converted on the second chance as the ball crept in between the feet of Savita.

India responded in quite a fashion after Sharmila Devi came up with a poacher’s finish from a PC. This was Sjoerd Marijne’s team first goal in Tokyo 2020 Olympics as the Indian No. 7 waited at the goal-mouth to guide the ball in following the flick by Gurjit Kaur.

The second half gave Indians no respite despite winning multiple PCs as GBR extended their lead by scoring on the rebound. The fourth quarter had the same story in store for the Women in Blue as the defending Olympic Champions hit the final nail by scoring their fourth goal of the match.

This is India’s third successive defeat after losing to Germany in their second match 0-2 on Monday.