An inexperienced, young Sri Lankan team, packed with fresh faces, shocked India in the first Twenty20 International of the three-match bilateral series, defeating the hosts by five wickets in Pune on Tuesday. After putting India in to bat on a green, seaming wicket, Sri Lanka bowled the hosts out for just 101, before chasing it down with 13 balls to spare. Sri Lanka's pacers prospered on the helpful surface and were helped by some poor shots from the Indian batsmen.
With Virat Kohli rested, all of India's best batsmen in Australia – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane – were back in the pavilion by the fifth over. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina also followed, as India slumped to a precarious 58-7. Ravichandran Ashwin then played a face-saving knock of 31 off 24 balls to get India past the 100-mark, as the hosts were bowled out for just 101.
In the chase, Sri Lanka lost their first two wickets early and it seemed India had a sniff at the win. But captain Dinesh Chandimal (35) and Chamara Kapugedera (25) stitched together a 39-run partnership. They were both dismissed towards the end of the innings to set up a wobbly finish, but Sri Lanka sneaked through in the end, winning by five wickets, with 13 balls still in hand.
The next match of the series is on February 12 at Ranchi.
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