Sri Lanka Suffers Sudden Batting Collapse, Loses to India

India started the T20 series with a victory over Sri Lanka, winning by 43 runs on Sri Lanka's home ground. India scored 213 runs batting first, while Sri Lanka was restricted to 170 runs in response. This marked a winning start for India under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir.

In the match held on Saturday in Pallekele, India lost the toss and were put to bat. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill gave India a strong start with a quick partnership of 74 runs in the powerplay. The opening stand was broken when Gill was dismissed after scoring 34 runs off 16 balls. Immediately after Gill's dismissal, Jaiswal also got out, having scored 40 runs off 21 balls, including 5 fours and 2 sixes.

Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant then formed a crucial partnership, adding 76 runs off 43 balls for the third wicket. Pant narrowly missed his half-century, getting out for 49 runs, caught by Matheesha Pathirana. Suryakumar continued his aggressive batting, scoring 58 runs off 26 balls at a strike rate of 223.07, with 8 fours and 2 sixes. India finished their innings at 213 runs, with Pathirana taking 4 wickets for 40 runs for Sri Lanka.

Chasing 214 runs, Sri Lanka started well with openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis adding 84 runs. Mendis was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh after scoring 45 runs off 34 balls, including 7 fours and 1 six. Nissanka continued to bat aggressively but was dismissed for 79 runs by spinner Axar Patel, which brought India back into the match.

Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis scored 20 and 12 runs, respectively, but Sri Lanka's batting collapsed after their dismissals. The subsequent batsmen struggled against the Indian bowlers, with none reaching double figures.

Sri Lanka's innings ended at 170 runs, handing India a 43-run victory. India now leads the series 1-0. Suryakumar Yadav, the new T20 captain for India, was named the Man of the Match.

For India, Riyan Parag took 3 wickets, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel each took 2 wickets.