Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

India ride Thakur brilliance to win T20 series against Sri Lanka

Shardul Thakur produced an all-round display and Navdeep Saini impressed with his pace again as India thumped Sri Lanka by 78 runs in the third and final Twenty20 International to complete a 2-0 series victory in Pune on Friday.

KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan both hit fifties to lay the foundation for India's imposing total of 201-6 after being put into bat at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.


Sri Lanka's top order wilted early in their reply and Dhananjaya de Silva's counter-attacking 57 was not enough as they were bundled out for 123 in 15.5 overs.

Saini, who took 2-18 in the second match, led the rout claiming 3-28, while Thakur grabbed two wickets to go with his 22 not out off just eight deliveries.

Earlier, Dasun Shanaka dropped Dhawan in the second over and his team paid for the costly mistake as the left-hander went on to forge a 97-run partnership with Rahul.

Left-arm spinner Lakshan Sandakan (3-35) separated them when he dismissed Dhawan for 52 and wickets suddenly started tumbling.

Sandakan dismissed Rahul (54) and the in-form Shreyas Iyer in the same over, while Virat Kohli and Washington Sundar departed in successive deliveries.

Manish Pandey (31 not out) and Thakur made sure the collapse did not really matter as they took India past the 200-mark.

Sri Lanka needed a strong start to stay in the chase but the Indian quicks blew away their top order, reducing them to 26-4 in the sixth over.

The 68-run stand between de Silva and Angelo Mathews (31) was the lone significant partnership in the Sri Lankan innings.

The series opener in Guwahati was abandoned because of rain and India romped home by seven wickets in the second match in Indore.

More For You

Ajith Kumar Tamil Sindhi identity

Ajith Kumar says he was asked to change his name early in his career

Ajith Kumar reveals he was told to change his name but refused to erase his Tamil-Sindhi identity

Highlights:

  • Reveals he was told to change his name early in his career.
  • The actor refused, choosing to keep his Tamil-Sindhi identity.
  • Opens up about struggling with Tamil and working hard to fix his accent.
  • Says discipline, not luck, drives both his acting and racing careers.
  • Focuses now on racing and helping the sport grow in India.

Ajith Kumar was asked early in his career to change his name, but he refused, keeping his Tamil-Sindhi identity and the accent, he worked on intact.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the 53-year-old actor looked back on his three-decade journey with calm gratitude. “I put my heart and soul into everything. I couldn’t speak the language properly; I had an accent in Tamil. But I worked on it,” he said.

Keep ReadingShow less