Quick guide:
India vs Sri Lanka – 2nd and 3rd T20I Post Match Analysis
Note: The analysis in this blog is combined for the 2nd and 3rd T20I. The average is across two matches in all analysis mentioned below.
Sri Lanka made a stunning comeback in the T20I series after losing the first game and won the series by a margin of 2-1. The series loss ended India’s winning streak of 8 T20I series. The Indian side had player availability issues in their camp due to Krunal testing positive and other players in isolation as a precautionary measure. They were left with only five batsmen in their XI for the last two games. Having said that, Sri Lanka was the better side on both days and deserved to win the two games and the series. Let us have a look at how the teams performed in different phases.
Batting and bowling averages in each phase (2nd and 3rd T20I combined)
| Team | Phase | Batting Average | Bowling Average |
| India | 1-6 | 18.5 | 29.5 |
| Sri Lanka | 1-6 | 29.5 | 18.5 |
| India | 7-15 | 18.75 | 19.5 |
| Sri Lanka | 7-15 | 19.5 | 18.75 |
| India | 16-20 | 12.8 | 39 |
| Sri Lanka | 16-20 | 39 | 12.8 |
India has struggled in the first powerplay and the death overs as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals in both the games. In the 3rd T20I in the powerplay, India lost five wickets and in the death overs in the 2nd T20I too India had lost a lot of wickets which is why they ended up with below par totals in both the games.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka were good in the powerplay and at the death as they didn’t lose too many wickets. The average in the powerplay and the death overs made a huge difference in the end result. Their ability to pick up quick wickets in these two phases ensured that they were in a good position to chase the totals and win the games.
Scoring Rates across phases
India went at a better rate than Sri Lanka in the powerplay but they lost a lot more wickets than Sri Lanka so it didn’t seem to have created as big an impact as it should have. India, with only five batsmen in the lineup, had to play with a cautious approach whereas Sri Lanka weren’t chasing a huge total so they didn’t feel the need to go big in the first six overs and risk a collapse.
This is the phase where Sri Lanka scored way quicker than India. In the middle-overs, Sri Lanka scored at a rate of 7.8 runs per over while India went at less than run a ball. India managed to score at a rate of 4.2 runs per over which is almost half of what Sri Lanka were managing. This is the longest phase of a T20 innings and generally matches tend to slip away here. India kept losing wickets and couldn’t score quicker which turned out to be a crucial phase for a turnaround of events in both the games. Building a steady partnership in the middle overs is what the team will have to work towards in order to set big totals.
India never really managed to take off and as a result scored only 6.4 runs per over in the last five overs of the innings. On the other hand, Sri Lanka was once again ahead of India as they scored at 7.8 runs per over in the death overs.
Scoring wasn’t easy but with wickets in hand, Sri Lanka managed to accelerate in the 2nd T20I which helped them to level the series. (In the last T20I they didn’t need to bat in the death overs as the game ended before that).Overall, India lacked in all three phases as their hands were tied due to the availability of just five batsmen. Sri Lanka, on the other hand did well in the second and third phase as compared to the powerplay.
Special Mentions
81-8 is the lowest total by India in the first innings of a T20I in a completed innings.
First time in his international career Bhuvneshwar Kumar came to bat in the Powerplay of a T20I match.
First time Sri Lanka managed to defeat India in a bilateral T20I series.
30 balls faced by Bhuvneshwar Kumar without hitting a boundary in the 3rd T20I is the most by an Indian in the shortest format.
~Shubham Kulkarni (Stats analyst)
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