India clinch T20 series against Sri Lanka

India defeated Sri Lanka by 78 runs in the third and final T20 International to win the the three-match series 2-0 here on Friday.

Sent into bat, India rode on K L Rahul (54 off 36) and Shikhar Dhawan’s (52 off 36) 97-run opening stand to post a challenging 201 for six in their allotted 20 overs.

Manish Pandey then smashed 31 off 18 balls and skipper Virat Kohli, batting at number six, scored a brisk 17-ball 26.

But India wouldn’t have crossed 200-run mark had it not been for Shardul Thakur’s blistering 22 off only eight balls. He smashed two sixes and a boundary.

Defending the total, the Indian bowlers, led by right-arm pacer Navdeep Saini (3/28) Shardul Thakur (2/19), dished out a disciplined effort to bundle out Sri Lanka for 123 in 15.5 overs.

Off-spinner Washington Sundar also picked up two wickets giving away 37 runs from his four overs.

India, thus, won the series 2-0 after registering a comprehensive seven-wicket win in the second T20 International in Indore. The first match of the series was washed out in Guwahati without a ball being bowled.