IND VS SL - 3rd T20I, Sri Lanka tour of India, 2017

India vs Sri Lanka

India won by 5 wkts

IND -139/5 (19.2)

SL -135/7 (19.6)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH : Jaydev Unadkat

Batter

R
B
4s
6s
SR
16
10
2
0
160
18
12
0
1
150

Bowler

O
M
R
W
ECO
3.2
0
22
0
6.6

Rohit takes the trophy to his teammates who are all soaked in the festive spirit, with their Santa hats on. They've much to celebrate after what's been a fantastic home season with no more than a couple of blemishes. The new year will bring a completely different challenge along with it though. But that's for later. So that's all we have from here. Wishing you all a merry Christmas. Have a fantastic dinner if you haven't done so already. Until next time, it's goodbye!

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Stats round-up - courtesy Deepu Narayanan:

India in 2017:
Tests: P 11; W 7; L 1; D 3
ODIs: P 29; W 21; L 7; NR 1
T20Is: P 13; W 9; L 4
Overall: P 53; W 37; L 12
37 wins across formats is the second most in a calendar year for a team after Australia's 38 (in 47 matches) in 2003

Longest unbeaten run in bilateral series across formats at home:
24 India (1988-99); 23 Windies (1974-90); 23 Australia (2003-08); 16 India (2015-17)

3-0 wins for India in T20Is:
vs Aus in Aus, 2016
vs SL in Ind, 2017

SL in 2017:
Tests: P 13; W 4; L 7; D 2
ODIs: P 29; W 5; L 23; NR 1
T20Is: P 15; W 5; L 10
Overall: P 57; W 14; L 40
40 losses in 2017 - eight more than any other side in a calendar year

Most successive losses in T20Is:
16 Zim (2010-13); 12 Ban (2007-10); 9 UAE (2016-17); 8 Ban (2016-17); 8 SL (2017-present)

Most successive wins in T20Is against an opponent:
9 Pak v Zim (2008-15); 7 Pak v Ban (2007-14); 7 NZ v Ban (2010-17); 7 Ind v Aus (2013-17); 7 Ind v SL (2016-17)

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Rohit Sharma, winning captain: We always knew that whatever target is set up, we back our batsmen to get it. That is something we spoke about at the start of the series too, to play with six batters and an all-rounder. Happy with the composition we had throughout the series. Guys who got opportunities made it count throughout. Thoroughly a team effort. Each and every guy has put in a lot of effort. They've done their homework thoroughly, which was pleasing. Lot of the guys you see were playing their first game, second game, but it never felt that way. They've played lot of cricket in home conditions - IPL and things like that. They were confident and it was our job as management to back them. It's a great occasion to play for your country. They came and did what they were expected to do. Looking very much forward to South Africa. Would like to reiterate the home season we've had. Never easy, no matter what conditions you play in. You have to go and get the win. Since we started playing against Australia at home, we started doing things right. There were few hiccups in the middle. Games like Dharamsala which taught us a lot. As a batting unit too, we were challenged at different times, but the way we came back was very good.

Unadkat: Things went really well for me. I had some plans for myself. Had done my preparations before the series. To achieve results like this is outstanding. To bowl in the powerplay was something that I was looking forward to. Been a fruitful career. Have got my opportunities whenever I've performed well. Been through the domestic circuit, played a lot of games there. Helped me mature as a player. I was always eager to make this comeback. Made a comeback in 2013, wasn't that great. Thankful to the management and captain to back me. It was important for me in this series to get the confidence and it worked really well for me. The most important phase of any player's career is domestic circuit. You bowl on flat tracks. You go through the grind and keep on working on your skills. To come out well gives you the confidence. It was always on the back of my mind to perform for the nation, to be back with these guys. Just wanted to give my best whenever I got the chance. IPL cricket has really helped to get the confidence when you come to the international arena. It's just about putting in the right efforts in the practice. Not just quantity of efforts but quality of it too.

Jaydev Unadkat is Man of the Match as well as Man of the Series.

Perera, losing captain: As a captain, proud of my bowling unit. We have a good fielding coach who's doing a good job. Have improved in fielding. We learnt a lot because we all know India is a big team at the moment. Learnt lots of things from these T20Is. As bowlers, we did pretty well today also. Have to click with our batting. After that, we can go far.

Ravi Shastri, India coach: That's the hallmark of a good team where we respect oppositions, and when you respect oppositions you stay grounded. Very good variations (talking about Unadkat). He's been around for 5-6 years now but he's evolved beautifully. He understands his bowling which is so important. There's so much of cricket being played. T20 cricket for us, we don't care. You win or lose, it doesn't matter, but give youngsters the opportunity so you come to know who is in the fray for 2019. Big headache for us. Rahul is a class player. He's got time. He plays all the shots. For me, he's the most improved player in world cricket in the last 18-20 months. That's the challenge (the South Africa tour). In your playing career, if you're not up for challenges, then it's no fun. Should be a good series. This is a side which can compete anywhere in the world.

Manish Pandey: It was nice to see MS and Dinesh Karthik finishing it off in style. It (new ball) was moving around initially in the second innings .We batted fairly alright; it should have gotten over a bit earlier, but they bowled really well. I like to play my shots. Wickets with bounce and pace gives me the chance to hit the ball well.

Dinesh Karthik: Under pressure a little bit, I think it was important with Dhoni around to take the game deep. I thought 12 off the last over was gettable, but I got one in the slot in the end, I backed myself and connected well. It would've been a great Day 1 pitch in Test cricket; there was bounce and movement. It's great to play games in these kind of wickets. There's a bit of cat and mouse game. You got to decide when you have to go against the bowlers. I enjoy these kind of wickets. We dominated it (the series), to be fair. Except the first game in Dharamsala, we were on point. We were caught off guard there and after that I don't think we looked back. Double hundred by Rohit was fantastic, he is batting as well as he can. Shikhar and KL batted well and the two wrist spinners have been top notch. It's been a great tournament for India and good standards set by team India.

The pitch had something in it with the new ball and the tone was set by Akila and Chameera. The ball was not being sent out of the park as everyone expected and that made it a good contest. Credit to Sri Lanka for their spirited effort despite knowing not much was riding on this game. The series was lost. But they kept plugging away and in the end it was the calmness and talent of MS and DK that took India home. A word about Pandey who set things rolling along with Iyer after the hosts got into a middle-over rut in the chase. There's sideline interviews with Pandey, DK and India's high-profile coach Ravi Shaz. And then the presentations will follow. Do hang around for everything...

India have clean-swept the series 3-0. Won the Test and ODI series as well. Not quite a "tourwash" as it happened in Sri Lanka before this tour, but a commanding overall performance from the hosts. The tourwash wasn't on because of a combination of weather, fog and Sri Lanka's resistance. Especially at Delhi in the final Test and at Dharamsala in the first ODI where they ran riot. But tremendously satisfactory for Rohit as captain to win both the ODI and the T20I series as he was without Kohli with a whole host of youngsters getting a go. Still too strong for this Sri Lankan outfit. They will do well to forget playing India for a while. Only brings back bad memories. As far as today's match was concerned, the visitors did well to take it to the final over after making a paltry score with the bat.

19.2

4

Perera to Dhoni, FOUR, India win! Dhoni with the winning hit. At the Wankhede. Against Sri Lanka. Everything seems 2011 all over again. Except that this is a dead rubber in a T20I series which has already been decided. The visitors beaten to pulp over the last two tours. So no nostalgia. Low full-toss on the pads, went for the yorker did Perera, missed out and Dhoni helped the flick beating deep square who allowed the ball to cross the rope. It runs away for four and that's the tour done!

19.1

Perera to Dhoni, 2 runs, look at Sri Lanka's rotten luck. A miscued heave off the inside half of the bat to long-on. The batsmen have settled for one. But the throw from the deep hits the stumps and ricochets away, leaving the fielders helpless. They take two and Dhoni will be on strike. Scores level!

END OF OVER 19

12 Runs

IND: 133 - 5

1 1 2 0 2 6

MS Dhoni

10 (8)

Dinesh Karthik

18 (12)

N Pradeep

4-0-36-0

18.6

Pradeep to Karthik, SIX, gone! Into the stands. That should be the game. Right there. Done and dusted. What a ball to bowl. At this stage. Waist-high full-toss and belted deep into the mid-wicket stands. DK staying there and butchering that. Pristine timing too and it flew off the bat

Thisara goes to Pradeep to have a word. "Most important ball that Nuwan Pradeep would've bowled" is the comment from Russel Arnold on air. Fine leg in. All sorts of conflab going on there. Only three in as of now. Now four! So no chance of that being called a no-ball. Finally Pradeep is ready to bowl.

18.5

Pradeep to Karthik, 2 runs, slogged. In the air and over mid-wicket. No timing on that, but it is two as deep mid has ground to cover

MS walks up to DK to have a chat. Calm head there!

18.4

Pradeep to Karthik, no run, pressure. Pressure. Fine leg was in. Knew that. But didn't connect. Karthik on his knee and down to paddle-scoop. Misses as the length ball goes over leg stump