“Sri Lanka Captain Criticizes Batters After Late Collapse Against India in 3rd T20I”

After his team’s defeat against India in the third T20I match of the series, Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka expressed disappointment with their batting performance. Asalanka, who was dismissed for a golden duck by Washington Sundar in the 17th over, criticized the middle-order and late middle-order for poor shot selection. He acknowledged the challenging pitch conditions and emphasized the need for better performances in the upcoming ODIs against India.

“I am really disappointed about our batting line-up, especially the middle-order and late middle-order. Very bad shot selection was the reason. Spinners were bowling, that’s why Hasaranga came up the order. We gave him the license to hit one or two boundaries, but that didn’t work for us. Wrong shot selection on this pitch. When the ball gets old, our shot selection should be spot-on; it’s really hard to bat on these tracks. Definitely, the target was gettable. We can’t give excuses. As professional cricketers, we need to do a little bit more than this. I want to see good batting performances in the ODIs, not like T20s. Our top three and four have done well, and that’s the only positive I have. The boys will do something better,” Asalanka said.

In the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl. India’s innings saw contributions from all the batters, with Shubman Gill top-scoring with 39 runs off 37 balls. Riyan Parag (26 off 18 balls) and Washington Sundar (25 off 18 balls) added crucial runs in the death overs, helping India reach 137/9 in 20 overs. Maheesh Theekshana led Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, taking three wickets for 28 runs, while Wanindu Hasaranga claimed two wickets for 29 runs.

During Sri Lanka’s chase, Kusal Perera (46 off 34 balls) and Kusal Mendis (43 off 41 balls) were the top performers, guiding the team to 137/8 and pushing the match into a Super Over. Pathum Nissanka also contributed with 26 runs from 27 balls.

Rinku Singh and captain Suryakumar Yadav each took two wickets, with Yadav defending six runs in the final over to force the Super Over. Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi also claimed two wickets each.

In the Super Over, Sri Lanka managed only 2/2. Suryakumar Yadav secured India’s victory with a boundary on the first ball of their Super Over.

Washington Sundar was named Player of the Match, while Suryakumar Yadav was awarded the Player of the Series title.